Appledashery Vol. Two

Chapters

==Part Twenty-Four: Applejackery==
The Day the Apple Fell
Shamblin'
Itinerary
Speechless
Promises
Golden Means
Patching Up
Deliver Us from Apples
Dangerously Honest
Top Apple
Seedling
Sapling
Ripening
The Sweetest of Apples and Acres
Brother and Sister
The Richest Ponies in Equestria
The Highest Branch
The Promise
Just Fine
A Tad Bit Loopty
Blossoms
Digestion
A Blonde Goddess Walks Into a Bakery...
Home is Where One Heart Is
Kitchenings
Family Mare
Runs In the Family
The Hush
Applebuckery
Seedlings
Hooooooooooooooooooooooooooedown
Dust and Shadows
The Squattening
Huh?
Green and Red Apples
Baby Steps
Raze this Barn, Raze this Barn
An Apple a Day
Version 2.0
A Void
A Very Good Place to Restart
Where the Rainbow Begins
Whoah...
...Nelly?
Seguedash
Blue
A Cloudsdalian Yankee in King Ponyville's Court
Trippin' Apples
Because I'm Me
Dang It, Scamphorse
Cottaging
Zip!
Wagons, Hay!
The Front Line
Filling
Until Y'all Shared Its Magic With Me
A Loyal Pain
Whitetail Wheezing
Foundation
Seasonfall
No Pressure...
...Rarijack'd
Excitement
Pumpkineers
Six Girls, One Stagecoach
Safety? Dance!
At the Gala
Preface
Back Where You Began
The Apple Side
Foalish
The Canterlot Accord
Twilight Time
Slumper Poop'd
Hold
Ask Not For Whom the Breakfast Tolls
A Head Start
A-Museum-ing
Past Hooves
Once and Freckled Past
Dressed Up and Good to Goof
Fussin' and Budgin'
Gyrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl
To be Polite
To be Passionate
Happy Hour Zero
Tempered
Letting It Out
Whoah, There
Warm Enough
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat
Take One Down, Pass It Around
Deserve
Dare
Perspire
Midnight In the Garden of Apples and Insomnia
I Wandered Empty Streets Down Past the Shop Displays
Where Everpony Doesn't Know Your Name
Cider Trail Rules
Rainbow Down
< ^ > < ^ >
CRASH
An Honest Mistake
Not an Ending...
Six Words
The Softening
Dream Dash
Home Aloners
Weekenders
All Good Things
Down, Feather
Is It Secret? Is It...?
Cloudcover
Must Have Stones
Noticeable
...Still Doing as the Sugarcubes Do
Apple Dashery: Special Edition in 3D
Night Lasso'd
Mirror Mirror
False Alarms
Freckle Revolution
Radish, I say!
Speedy Delivery
Loyalty Lends
Care Package
Wane
Anchored
Sturdiness
Rarijackery
The Colors You're Allowed
Show, Don't Apple
Buckin' Gals
Orchards, Straight and Narrow
Get Slumped
Half and Half
Unfunny Farm
Apple Goals
The Once and Future Past
Moments
Unwinnable
Mope Harvest
Carry Apples Home
Sweet Apple Ecstasy
Warmer Currents
Fancy
Gift Horses and Such
Golden
Delicious
Are You Now, Applejack?
Cradle It
Apple Concentrate
As the Apple Falls
Share Croppin'
Time Off
It Wasn't the Wind
She Can Handle It
A New Apple
An Old Apple
Raise Suspense, Raise Suspense, 1-2-3-4
Barn It
Heraldic
Why Don't You Make Like A Tree...
Pony Cancer
Call Upon the Dashie
Social-Workers
When Hairy Met Fuzzy
Listen to the Apple Talk
Shootin' the You-Know-What
A Stupendous Evening
Breakfast With Wrinkles
Fixer-Upper
It's Raining Morons
Fruit'n'words
Stu, Yo
Must Be the Work of An Enemy Stu!
Stu Is as Stu Does
A Full Day's Work
Even Fuller
Elementary, My Dear Stu
Peddle to the Mettle
Stew, Evening
Me, Myself, and Apples
Pinkie Keeners
Rarijackulation
Anchoring
Quirks of a Feather
To Be Continued
Rainbow Dash and Applejack
Appledashery
Grit
Wallflowering
Home Run
Harmonious
Equinox
Pillow'd Dawn
A One and a Two and a...
Refrain
Appledashed
Branching
Softer Promises
Sisterhooves Mulling

==Part Twenty-Four: Applejackery==

Her freckles were dim that day. They hung across a somber expression, dead and dull, just like the cold air settling around her... around everypony gathered atop that hill on the southwest side of Sweet Apple Acres.

No less than two hundred mares and stallions stood in a thick, melancholic circle—all dressed in dark grays and blacks. Practically the entire town had gathered, along with dozens of members of the extended Apple Family. All was silent, save for the quiet gurgling noises coming from an infant's muzzle.

Apple Bloom lay drowsily, swaddled in soft black fabric hanging from Granny Smith's flank. Two of the old mare's wrinkled cousins stood close by, sniffling sorrowfully. Together they gently caressed the matriarch's shoulders as breath after ragged breath slowly rattled through her.

Just a few feet to the side, Big Macintosh stood tall and proud in a black suit. The red stallion was eerily silent, his muzzle locked in an awkward, subdued frown that was suspended between "sorrowful" and "bitter."

Applejack looked towards him. Her ears twitched, as if to scrape the air around her for the many words that would come from her sibling's mouth. An anxious squirm overcame her figure; she fidgeted in her black gown while biting her bottom lip. Just then, the words of the town mayor broke the thick silence, and she glanced towards a humble podium with a flounce to her blonde pigtails.

"It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to two of our proudest, most reverred citizens," Mayor Mare said, struggling to compose herself. She brushed back a streak of gray-and-pink mane hair before gesturing at two fresh graves situated within the humble garden before the group. "We commit them to the Harmonic Plains, but we commit them with even greater sincerity to the memory in our hearts. The spirit of the Apple Family has served as the backbone to this community, and the courage and tenacity they taught us every day with every fiber of their being will continue to inspire us for generations to come. And while the tragedy that has taken these two beloved equines from us has been terrible indeed, let us not forget that they have left such priceless treasures with us... in the form of Apple Smith... and three precious children: Big Macintosh, Applejack, and Apple Bloom."

Granny Smith sucked a breath in deeply. Teary-eyed, she leaned her wrinkly face over to nuzzle Apple Bloom. The infant cooed—meanwhile adults sobbed quietly, under their breaths. A few paces over, Big Macintosh merely clenched his jaw and stood with locked legs.

Mayor Mare continued her eulogy: "Let us be thankful that the earth pony soul that resides within the core of Ponyville has not been completely lost. The Apple Family have given us more than a foundation." Swallowing a lump down her throat, the pony managed a warm smile and peered in Applejack's direction. Soft green eyes reflected off her bifocals at a distance. "They have given us a legacy."

Applejack's ears drooped. She breathed in and out. Trembling.

"Let us cherish them. Help them. Be there for them—faithful and strong—as the Apple Family have been for us," Mayor Mare said. "For while death has taken so much, life gives so very much more. This—more than anything—is what gives credence to joy, harmony, and the gift of magic. And these were also the things that our dearly departed strove for... each and every day."

Despite the warmth in those words, it was a cold silence that followed.

"Ahem... and now..." The Mayor adjusted her bifocals and lifted a notecard. "On behalf of the Apple Family... I've been asked to read some words written by both of the dearly departed. They were ever and always prepared for any eventuality—be it an early harvest or a late summer storm. It so happens that they were even prepared for this—as tragic as it has been. So, without much further ado, here are their parting words of wisdom to us."

At last, Big Macintosh's eyes closed. He held his ground as the Mayor quoted the words of his and Applejack's mother.

"'Spring and summer. Autumn and winter. Rain and drought. Bounty and famine.'" The Mayor paused to breathe, then continued: "'The only constant is love. Adoration for our friends... passion for our partners... and faith for our families. While forces beyond this realm might take us... and while winds beyond this fertile land might misplace us... know this—among each other and among those you've yet to meet—that the only weather you can ever hope to make a harvest from is the climate of trust and loyalty. My beloved and I have had the pleasure of sharing this among you, and we now give it back in equal portions... so that you may keep steadfast to the mutual beat of each other's hearts...'"

Applejack stifled a tiny squeak. The teenager closed her eyes—tensing the lids in order to dam the sudden flow of tears.

"'May it wake you each morning bright and early in time for labor... and lull you to sleep with a smile each night. This... is my wish for you. Now and forever.'"

Part Twenty-Four: Applejackery
(The Tale of a Freckled Pony and Her Freckled Heart)

The Day the Apple Fell

One by one—some in pairs and others groups—the citizens of Ponyville departed from the hilltop garden. The Mayor shook hooves with Carrot Cake and his teary-eyed marefriend Cup while a fluffy-mane'd filly with bright blue eyes looked on in a melancholic stupor. Granny Smith shuffled off, murmuring quiet words to her cousins while patting a slumbering Apple Bloom. A few lingering ponies hovered around to offer comforting words before trotting towards the heart of town in a quiet slump. Big Macintosh was nowhere to be found.

And Applejack...

Applejack stood before the two graves. A cold afternoon breeze drew over the hilltop, blowing at her dark skirt and blonde pigtails. She blinked, her emerald eyes drained of all vibrance. They reflected a pair of tombstones—as dark as her irises. Breath after breath, she lingered there... as if waiting for the wind to blow her away too.

Just as she was starting to read the treasured names chiseled in stone for the thirtied consecutive time—

"Uhm... erm... M-Miss Applejack?"

The teenager turned around.

Filthy Rich stood, almost flinching as soon as she made eye-contact with him. The stallion bit his lip, wearing a jet-black suit with a matching tie. Far behind him, an oppulently dressed mare tapped her fetlock in muddled impatience.

"Nothin' I could ever say or do can properly convey just... just how deeply sorry I am for what's transpired." Filthy Rich gulped. "To you and your whole entire family. I..." His jaw lingered open while genuine tears rested along the edges of his sockets. He composed himself and limply continued. "They were more than business partners to me and my father and his father before him." He gulped hard. "They were my fr-friends. Nothing's quite goin' to be the same with them gone."

Applejack nodded. Her eyes wandered off towards the orchards. When she finally spoke, it was in a noticeably shaky tone: "I'm honored to hear such nice and polite words, Mr. Rich. Reckon Ma and Pa would take kindly to them as w-well."

"Yes. Yes, I-I'm sure." Filthy Rich still stood his ground, although with a noticeable fidget. "Applejack, darlin', there's somethin' else. Somethin' I've been meanin' to pass along. Y'see..." He suddenly bit his tongue, then squinted at the hilltop around them. "Where did Granny Smith and Big Macintosh go off to?"

"Oh..." Applejack inhaled. "...I don't know." She exhaled.

"Well... all thangs considered... yer the one with all the ambitious ideas in that pretty lil' head of yers." Filthy Rich tried to smile. He sniffled. "Seems only fittin' that I hoof this to you first... seein' as I've always felt you were the one who represented that which made the Apple-Rich connection work like a well-oiled machine all these years."

"Huh?" Applejack craned her neck. "Mr. Rich? What have you got in yer hooves?"

"It's... uhm..." Filthy Rich cleared his throat, then took a few bold steps forward. He offered a brown stetson in his fetlocks. "It's somethin' yer bound to recognize."

Applejack's muzzle fell agape. "Pa's hat..." She blinked. Hard. Reaching forward, she gratefully took the article—then cradled it like it was made of glass. "But... b-but..." Her eyes turned glossy; she dried them in a blink and looked at Filthy Rich. "The avalanche. I thought my folks had lost it in the accident along with the rest of their—"

"It... it was needin' to be patched up," Filthy Rich stammered. "Yer Pa was never one to admit when he needed an alteration in his fashion statements. And... well... truth is his and the missus' anniversary was comin' up and he wanted to look as fine as possible for her. So..." Filthy smiled delicately. "I offered to have my store's best seamstress fix it up for him... all nice and proper. No fee. That's why it wasn't with him when..." He grimaced.

Applejack stared at him. She hugged the hat to her chest—gently.

"Well..." Filthy's voice was breathy as he nevertheless smiled. "It's fixed up real nice now. Fit for a prince. Royalty would be humbled mighty fierce in the presence of yer folks."

Applejack limply nodded. "Yes..." She gazed down at the hat. "...no doubt."

A strong hoof rested on her shoulder.

Applejack looked up.

Filthy gazed compassionately at her. "Applejack... if you or yer family need anythang... anythang at all." His brow furrowed. "All you need to do is ask. I'll help y'all in any way I can. That's a promise."

Slowly, Applejack nodded. "S-sure thing, Mr. Rich."

"Will you pass that along to Granny and Big Macintosh for me?"

"Will do, Mr. Rich," Applejack said. "And thank you kindly."

Filthy Rich gave a sigh of relief, as if throwing a large weight off his shoulders. However—as he backtrotted from Applejack and the graves—the melancholy slowly returned to his features. He lingered under a gray cloud, then finally turned about to join his wife in the long march to downtown.

Applejack remained.

She turned the hat over in her grasp and glanced inside. A single stallion's name was stitched beneath the brim. As she recalled, it had grown faded and threadbare over time—but now a new tag was in its place, bright and colorful. The name was as clear as granite, and it tore straight through her soul.

Clenching her eyes shut, Applejack hugged the stetson as gently as could be afforded, and drifted in its haunting scent.

Shamblin'

Everypony had left.

Sweet Apple Acres was empty.

A young Applejack slowly drifted down the lines of orchards. Her father's hat lay balanced across her flank as she threw melancholic glances left and right.

The stillness of the falling evening added to the sudden desolation of the moment. Everything was eerily quiet under the coalescing shadows. Applejack's home—and the fields abroad—felt two souls smaller, and it chilled her.

The mare bit her lip as she passed by the gardens that her mother used to tend and the chicken coops that her father had built. Closer to the family house, she found herself passing by a set of wagons untouched for the past few days. A tarp stretched over them and the apples plucked from the trees—no longer fresh, but surviving. The air had a growingly sour smell to it, and it sent a shiver down Applejack's spine.

Searching, she tilted her face towards a distant barn set on a hilltop. For the first time in as long as she could remember, a flicker of light emanated from within the hold structure's bent windows. With purse lips, Applejack readjusted the folds of her dress and swiftly trotted towards the building in question.

Big Macintosh was the reason for the light. Applejack found the young adult stallion inside the barn, wandering back and forth between piles of old rusted tools. Big Macintosh operated in a deadpan fashion, brushing cobwebs away and restoring an abandoned workbench to normal. He had completely stripped of his neatly-pressed suit for the funeral; Applejack saw the article draped over a crooked antique chair in the corner of the place.

"Brother...?" Applejack gulped, fiddling with the old stetson in her petite hooves. "Big Mac... reckon you should get some sleep or somethin'?"

"Eenope..." Big Macintosh's muzzle tensed slightly as he began shoving boxes of old farm equipment towards the furthest walls of the decrepit barn.

Applejack blinked. Her ears twitched beside her pigtails as she glanced at the meager candles freshly illuminating the old place. "It's so late in the evening. We ain't even had supper or nothin'."

Big Macintosh said nothing. All was silent—at least until the air echoed with him shoving old equipment around. Applejack watched as he dragged an old rusted plow out of hiding and began examining it up close.

"You plannin' to stay here overnight?" Applejack slurred.

"Eeyup." The suddenness of the answer was stabbing.

Applejack shuddered. Her ears folded as she stifled a whimper. "Big Mac... this... this isn't like you." She gulped. "Ain't you got a mountain of thangs to say? A big speech... some poetry... anythang?"

Big Mac's nostrils flared. He didn't look at his little sister. Both angry eyes were locked on the plow as he began tweaking the old, battered thing. "Eeenope."

Applejack clinched her eyes shut. She fought to keep her voice steady. "Please, Macky. Just... say somethin'. Anythang. I... I-I feel better when I hear you ramble on. Really, I do."

Dead silence. Big Macintosh worked and worked. He had nothing to say, and his back positioned to Applejack solidified it.

Applejack's eyes moistened. On tender little hooves, she reluctantly turned around... and trotted out of the barn.

Applejack returned home, and somehow it felt darker inside than outside.

Cricket song wafted in through the windows and shutters as she fumbled up the stairs, feeling around for the railing.

"Granny...?"

No reply.

Applejack brushed against the wall lining the stairs. Her flank bumped into old portraits. The faces of her mother and father jostled, then swung to a stop like smiling ghosts. At last, she spotted a light out of her peripheral: it was looming from the nursery recently furnished upstairs.

"Granny Smith?"

She heard Apple Bloom's gurgling voice, but nothing else. Heart pounding, Applejack briskly approached the room on the second floor. She pressed against the open door, and as it swung open with a meager creak, she spotted Granny Smith kneeling beside the crib where Apple Bloom lay. The old mare caressed the little infant foal, tending to her, brushing her tiny tuft of scarlet hair.

"Granny..." Applejack breathed. "It's so dark in here." She breathed again, fiddling with the stetson. "Want I should switch on the lights? Or set a few candles or—?"

"Best to conserve what we've got," Granny Smith murmured, not looking back. Her voice was dull, hollow. "Reckon we ain't gonna earn bits the same way we used to."

Applejack blinked. "But... but we've got plenty of candles and—"

"Do whatever ya feel is right, darlin'," Granny's voice wavered. She stroked Apple Bloom's forehead as she exhaled. "Dun really matter much, however way ya shake it."

Applejack fidgeted in the doorway. "Big Mac is out in the old barn... rummagin' around and workin' on Grandpa's old plow."

"Is that right?"

"I... tried to talk some sense into him. But he ain't listenin' to me. He ain't even talkin' back. Maybe... maybe you could have a word with him, Granny?"

"About what?"

Applejack stared.

Apple Bloom let out a shrill giggle. Granny Smith nuzzled her close, cooing something beneath her breath.

Applejack cleared her throat. "Granny. If yer needin' somepony to talk to—"

"Get some rest, Applejack," Granny Smith nearly grunted. "It's been a long day. Ain't no sense."

"Ain't no sense in what?"

To that, the elder mare had no answer. She continued sitting there beside the bed, doting on Apple Bloom with a deadpan expression.

Slowly, like a falling leaf, Applejack receded from the scene... and hobbled off to her own room.

The funeral dress hung off a chair in the corner.

A single candle had been lit, but it barely survived the cold winds gusting in through the window.

Applejack lay on her belly, staring across the bed.

Her father's hat rested on the comforter, blending with the shadows.

Applejack stared and stared. Gradually, her eyes filled with tears. She sniffled, covered her face...

And wept gently into the impenetrable shroud of a lonely night.

Itinerary

The next morning, Applejack awoke slowly, and she couldn't tell the gray shadows apart.

She crawled out of bed. She crawled everywhere. In a slow lurch, she shuffled across the creaking floorboards of her family home's second floor. A flavorless wind blew through the open windows, causing drapes and bedsheets to sway liquidly. On heavy hooves, the teenager lingered at a doorframe, staring inside the bedroom with a deadpan gaze.

A neatly-made bed lingered in the hazy morning light. Half-worn clothes lay limply in a hamper in the corner. A vanity stretched before a mirror, complete with humble perfume bottles and family photographs. Her father's galloshes rested neatly beside the bed, ready to be worn by nopony. Her mother's shawl hung off a rocking chair, the tassels fluttering in a phantom fashion.

Applejack said nothing.

She strolled down the stairs, passing the same familiar faces—half of which she'd never listen to again. Once at the bottom floor, she strolled through the dining room table. Five places were set, along with an infant's stool. The room felt unnecessarily cramped, but as soon as Applejack pondered removing the dining room table—she winced.

The shudder brought her into the kitchen—which was just as barren. She peered into the refrigerator, but most of the food had been spoiled with neglect. There was a pain in Applejack's chest, but it wasn't hunger.

The mare's ears twitched. She brushed a hoof past her pigtails and rubbed her lobes. Resting still, she heard nothing but silence. Even the songbirds were giving the morning a rest.

Sighing, Applejack turned around and shuffled back up the stairs.

Apple Bloom squirmed and cooed from where she lay in her crib. Her eyes were the brightest things in the house. Her tuft of mane hair was like a miniature torch.

A green shape huddled beside the infant's bed. Granny Smith didn't look neither awake nor asleep. The occasional shudder suggested a subdued limbo. Nevertheless, she remained there... anchored to the infant's bedside.

Applejack stared from the doorframe, and as each minute wore on, a lump in her throat grew deeper and deeper. She opened her muzzle to say something... but failed. With ears drooping, she pivoted away from the dimly-lit nursery and marched limply towards the opposite side of the house.

A meager trickle of cold-cold water was all the family shower could offer. Applejack didn't protest. She huddled there, her body hunched forward against the porcelain frame of the basin. The sheer cold of the liquid brought a sharp gasp to her lungs—but her heartrate remained the same thick lurch.

She stared down at the swirling water of the drain. Moisture cascaded down her freckles, highlighting the otherwise unremarkable lines in her emotionless expression. She thought of something... then she thought of something else. Her body sagged even more.

Somehow, the water didn't feel ice cold enough.

Applejack sat in a chair beside her bed. She peered into a mirror, calmly and fastidiously tying her still-damp mane into twin pigtails.

Her nostrils flared. One eyebrow raised... then lowered.

Nothing changed—certainly not the melancholic face before her.

The mare was done with her grooming. She finished far sooner than she had hoped. The morning had barely passed. There was still an eternity to extinguish.

Slowly, Applejack gazed her head towards her left. She peered out a window at a world that was brightening beneath lazy clouds. The fields of Sweet Apple Acres stretched from hill-to-hill. One third of the fields glistened with red fruit. The majority of the groves—however—were a blank and unenthusiastic emerald... completely devoid of apples.

Applejack blinked. Her brow furrowed as she craned her neck.

Closer to the barn—the newer barn—she once again saw the same gathered wagons that she had spotted after the funeral the previous day. They sat lonesomely beneath a tarp, gathering dust and leaves. Unattended.

Applejack bit her lip. Soon—with a curious jolt of energy—she stood up.

Dead grass and loose leaves crunched under the teenager's hooves as she approached the wagons. Applejack leaned in close, grasping the edge of the tarp and lifting.

She spotted several baskets of fruit lying underneath. There was no telling just how many days the fruit had been resting under the cover. Applejack had lost so much track of time. She wasn't the only one.

Reaching in, the mare grasped a few pieces of fruit at random and examined them. She used every trick in her familial arsenal: smelling the peels, squeezing the texture, and tapping the stems. From as well as she could tell, the fruit were still ripe. She couldn't tell if it was a miracle or not.

Applejack placed the fruit back in, lowered the tarp, and turned around. She squinted through the sunlight.

There was still an entire third of Sweet Apple Acres with trees unbucked.

The mare bit her bottom lip. She leaned on one set of legs... then the other.

At last—with pigtails twirling—she spun about and trotted briskly into the farmhouse.

Applejack ran her orange hoof across a calendar hanging in the kitchen. Her green eyes narrowed on one week in particular. There was a spot four days away that was splattered with red ink... and eerily etched with her father's hoofwriting: "HARVEST DEADLINE – MEET WITH FILTHY RICH"

Applejack exhaled. She glanced out at the field of unbucked trees... then back at the calendar once more. At last, with a determined breath, she exited the building and made her way for the old barn positioned far across the property.

Speechless

"Big Macintosh," Applejack spoke. She stood along the edge of the decrepit barn, staring inside. "There are dozens of wagons full of undelivered apples," she said. "What's more... a good third of the orchards remain to be bucked!" Her bright green eyes blinked. "Our scheduled day of delivery to Filthy Rich is in less than four days. If we dun get it on that soon... the fruit's gonna rot. Even worse!" she exclaimed. "The rest of the apples might go bad before they're harvested!"

There was no response.

Applejack squinted. "Big Mac...?"

The stallion was a living frown behind stubble. He huddled beside an old plow that had been disassembled into random, rusted pieces. He fiddled and fussed and tweaked on the old tool's infrastructure, sweating up a storm.

Applejack fidgeted where she stood. "Didja hear a single word I just said?"

"Mrmmffff..." The stallion exhaled, eyes locked on the intricate task he had been working on for hours and hours. "Eeeyup."

"Well... what are we gonna do about it?!" Applejack waved a hoof. "No doubt Ma and Pa were gonna finish the harvest before... b-before..." She grimaced, ultimately swallowing a lump down her throat. "But... t'ain't too late to salvage what's left of the crops! You can go deliver the wagons that have been filled. Meanwhile, I'll set out on the orchards and begin bucking the trees that are left filled. Then—when you come back—we can work on it together. Then Granny can join us. Before we know it, the harvest will be finished in a day or two!"

Silence.

"What do you think about that?" Applejack braved her first smile in days. "Is that a good plan?"

More silence.

Applejack's lips pursed as she leaned forward. "Big Mac? Is somethin' botherin' you?"

"Mrmmff... Eeenope..." came the gruff response.

Applejack's brow furrowed. "Well it sure looks like somethin' is. What's so dang important about these old bits of machinery anyway?"

He finally looked at her, and it was while tossing an angry glare.

Applejack winced. "Okay... look... I know that these things used to belong to Pa. But ain't there more important things to be worried about?"

"Eenope."

"The apples, Big Mac!" Applejack exclaimed. "If they all rot away... then we're dun for!" She gulped. "The harvest will be plum missed! Then we won't get a single bit of income. And we'll have... we'll h-have to move..." She whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes. "I j-just can't imagine losin' everythang that Ma and Pa earned. Especially after buryin' them up on that hill. We'd... we'd have to move them too, ya r-reckon?"

Big Macintosh merely sighed. With dull eyes, he continued tweaking away at the machinery.

Applejack rubbed her wet eyes, shivering. "And the worst part is... I-I feel like I'm the only one who cares anymore." She swallowed. "Ain't you the least bit worried about the harvest? Dun you think we've got our work cut out for us?"

Silence.

Applejack sniffled as she wiped her freckles dry. "Why are you like th-this all of the sudden?" Her lips quivered. "I... I miss my big, annoying, over-talkative brother. Ain't you got anythang to say, Big Mac?" She gazed at him through her tears. "Ain't you got a story or an anecdote or a speech or anythang?"

"Eenope."

Applejack clenched her teeth. "Reckon I should just leave you alone then..."

"Eeyup."

Applejack's heart sank. With a shudder, she teetered about...

...and trotted out of the old barn.

Under a dull cloud of grumbles and sighs, Big Macintosh quietly remained behind, wrestling with trinkets from the past.

Promises

"He ain't movin' from his spot," Applejack murmured. It was early afternoon, and she stood in the doorframe to Apple Bloom's nursery. "That's not all. Big Mac simply... ain't talkin' like he used to. He's just workin' his hide off... tryin' to get one of Pa's old plows to shine... or somethin'. I dunno." The teenager fiddled with her pigtails, gazing out the distant window beyond the crib. "He's the strongest member of the family, Granny. Without his help...I-I've no clue how we're gonna get all them apples bucked."

"Just let it be, darlin'."

Applejack did a double-take. She glanced at the green figure in front of her. "Granny...?"

The elder mare sat in a rocking chair with a slumbering Apple Bloom in her forelimbs. "He's been through a lot. We all have. If it suits the stallion to be all silent-like and fix up old tools, then so be it."

"But Granny...!" Applejack leaned forward. "The apples! They haven't been harvested yet!"

"Eh..." Granny Smith stared down at Apple Bloom as she carressed the little filly's scarlet hair. "We've still got time."

"We've got four days!!" Applejack frowned. "Even barely! Granny... if we dun get those bucked apples to Filthy Rich now and take down the rest mighty quick—then we're up a creak!"

"Apples ain't even rakin' in the bits this season," the elder muttered. "We've still got plenty of corn and raddishes left. That'll carry us through."

"Are you even listenin' to yerself right now?!"

"Sure am, darlin'—"

"Granny, without apples, we won't even have a cider season! That's our biggest source of profit outside of zapapples!"

"It just ain't that important this year."

"Of course it is, Granny!" Applejack stammered. "I can't believe for a second that you and Big Mac are just gonna sit lazily by while—"

"Applejack!" Granny Smith snapped, glaring daggers across the room. She sat ice-still in the rocking chair, gently calming Apple Bloom before the infant could stir awake. "Dun you think we've got far more pressin' thangs to worry about right now?!"

Applejack stared with her muzzle agape. "Like what...?"

Granny Smith simply sighed.

"Granny...?"

"I made a promise, Applejack," the mare murmured, her voice wavering slightly. "A promise to yer Ma while she still clung to life. T'ain't no way I'm gonna let what's most fragile in this family go to waste." She leaned down to nuzzle the infant. "I'm right where I'm needed the most... and I ain't budgin'. When yer my age and all you've got left are promises..." She sniffled. "Maybe you'll understand."

Applejack stared at her. "You can help me with the crops and still keep yer promise, Granny."

"Dun tell me what to do," Granny Smith grunted. "I know where I'm needed."

"But if the farm goes south... what then?!" Applejack waved. "If we can't provide for Apple Bloom, the little hayseed's good as dead! Where will yer promise be now?"

"Applejack—"

"Big Mac is already diggin' his spurs into the earth! Granny, I need you if we're gonna get the harvest done on—"

"T'ain't no harvest that needs bein' done!" Granny Smith growled, teeth flashing beneath her gums. "Not now! Not while we're still recoverin'—"

"Recoverin'?! Granny, I'm only talkin' about—"

"Are you sassin' me?!" Granny Smith's eyes flared. "What I say on this farm is final—and I say drop it!"

Apple Bloom jolted awake. The infant began sobbing.

Granny Smith huffed a heavy sigh. "Now look what you gone and did! Are you happy with yerself?"

Applejack trembled. "Granny..."

"Make yerself useful and git!" Granny Smith pivoted the rocking chair away from Applejack and began soothing Apple Bloom's tiny sobs. "Can't you see I've got a promise to keep?"

Biting her lip, Applejack slowly... obediently backtrotted out of the room.

Golden Means

"Mrnnngh!" Applejack bucked a tree.

Thap!

The apples did not fall.

She did a double-take, blinking up at the still-vibrating branches.

Chewing on her bottom lip, the mare stared and stared.

Then, with an even heavier grunt, she spun around and slammed her rear hooves into the tree trunk once again.

Thwappp!!!

Half of the apples fell into the bucket that she had placed beneath the branches.

Her lower legs stung from the impact, and yet she was too preoccupied with catching her breath. She stood in place, squirming. The teenager glanced down at her thin, noodly limbs. A frown crossed her freckled face, and she breathed in tense and tenser waves.

"Rrrrrrr..." She backed up, grind her hooves, and charged the tree with all her might. "Rrrrrr—Raaaugh!"

Thunk!!!

At last, the rest of the apples fell into the bucket.

Applejack heaved and heaved. Aching, she grabbed the basket and slid it towards the nearby wagon.

Gulping, she gave a forlorn glance down the line of orchards.

In the afternoon sun, hundreds of apple trees glistened... waiting to be bucked.

With a shudder, Applejack heaved the basket into the back of the wagon, strolled towards the next tree... and repeated the entire ordeal.

Th-Thunk!!!

Apples fell—but not all of them.

Panting and panting, a young Applejack swung and slammed the tree trunk yet again.

"Rrrrgh!"

THUNK!

At last, the rest of the fruit fell into the basket.

Applejack slumped forward, wincing. Her pigtails flounced in front of her face. Snarling, she batted them away... spitting out errant blonde hairs. In an attempt to catch her breath, the mare leaned into the tree she had just bucked. She panted and panted... waiting for the stinging pain to exit her limbs. She glanced down at her fetlocks to see that nasty whelts had already started to form.

There was a gust of cold wind. Her pigtails flew into her face yet again. Snarling, she batted them away, turned around, and pushed the basket back towards the wagon...

...a wagon that was hardly filled after two hours.

THWAP!

Falling apples.

Stinging limbs.

The sun was blinding. Burning bright. Applejack could scarcely squint at the tree branches above. By this time, she decided to buck the trees as hard as she could and vaguely plan a second pass through the orchards to clean the leftover fruit later on.

At the moment, she was in the process of heaving baskets into the back of the wagon.

She had a hard time seeing what she was doing—but this time not because of the sun. Her pigtails—damp with sweat—were falling across her face again with each physical motion.

"Mrmmmfff..." Applejack grimaced, nearly losing grip of the baskets as their weight threw her off. She gasped, teetered, then flung the containers into the back of the wagon. The mare shuddered, her peripheral flashing with the golden sway of her pigtails. She reached a hoof up, angrily tugging at the offensive manestyle.

The mare clenched her jaw. Then... with a determined breath... she turned around and strutted away from the wagon.

Applejack sat on an overturned basket.

Undoing the first and then second pigtail, she gave her petite cranium a shake.

The teenager tossed her full golden mane loose over her shoulders. Then—with practiced motions that she hadn't utilized since foalhood—she brushed the entire length of her hair back, gathered it all through one ribbon, and formed a single thick ponytail.

Standing up, she turned briskly to the left... then to the right. The combined weight of her mane caused the single ponytail to swing no further than her shoulders. They no longer obstructed her vision... or her work.

With a satisfied breath, Applejack tossed the spare hair ribbon into the back of the wagon, grabbed a heap of baskets, and marched sweatily towards the next line of orchards.

Patching Up

The sun was going down.

But that wasn't the reason for Applejack's agony.

Th-Thwack! She flung her lower limbs at another tree trunk—nearly missing.

Only a smattering of apples fell into the basket.

Wheezing, Applejack lunged forward and leaned against the tree. Her lungs ached and her knees throbbed even harder. The teenager's single ponytail hung like a dead snake over her shoulders as she lingered there... attempting to catch her breath.

The pony gulped. She looked up the hill, squinting in the gathering darkness.

Hundreds upon hundreds of trees stood before her—all of them glistening with fruit under the last gasp of daylight.

The freckled teenager bit her lip. She turned and gazed weakly towards the west.

The Apple Family farmhouse stood on the hilltop, forming shadows before the burning horizon. Already, Applejack could see tiny lights peeking out from the upstairs window. No doubt Granny Smith was putting little Apple Bloom to bed.

To bed...

A tender breath purred out of Applejack's lips. She imagined the cool waters of a comforting bath... or the blissful tug of velvety blankets wrapped snugly over a soft bed.

Her muscles ached and she smelled of sweat and filth all over.

The mare's nostrils flared... and a frown adorned her muzzle.

Clenching her teeth, Applejack abandoned the trees. She trotted west... but not towards the farmhouse.

Applejack struck a match held between clenched teeth. She winced from the tiny flame's heat against her lips, but nevertheless managed to light the wick of a kerosene lamp. Leaning back, she spat the match onto the ground and stamped it out with her bruised hoof. Then—with careful motions—she lifted the lamp up and onto a metal holster set within the corner of a half-empty wagon. Three other lanterns flickered from the other corners of the vehicle, and a dim halo of light formed around it. It was enough illumination to work with—or so Applejack told herself.

Going on eight solid hours without rest, Applejack drew the wagon closer to the trees. Crickets began their nightlong song around her. Hooting owls and the distant howls of timberwolves filled the rest of the night. Applejack trembled slightly, but nevertheless kept her teenage eyes forward.

Approaching the first of many lines of trees, the mare swung her lower body—

THWACK!

...and resumed her diligent work on the orchards.

It was about two hours later that the unthinkable happened.

CRACK!

The noise of the wood snapping startled Applejack more than anything. She spun around and gasped.

The front right wheel of the lantern-lit wagon shattered completely. The rest of the vehicle teetered, and a lamp or two nearly fell to the dry grass below.

Applejack rushed forward—steadying the vehicle and ensuring that a blaze didn't start. Catching her breath, the sweaty mare leaned down to examined the damage. The wheel must have gotten caught in a gopher hole—the mare assumed—and the resulting shift in weight led to the inevitable catastrophe.

The mare exhaled heavily. She turned and looked behind her shoulder. Beyond the penumbra of the lamp's light, she could scarcely see the rest of the trees... but she still knew that all of them needed to be bucked.

With a prolonged groan, the mare stopped what she was doing, turned towards the barn, and began a long and mind-numbing trot.

Th-Thump!

Applejack dropped a spare wagon-wheel to the ground. She couldn't recall precisely when it was fashioned together by the local Ponyville carpenter. All she knew was that Pa was a resourceful stallion who prepared for anything and everything, and now she was about to reap the benefits of his forward thinking.

Or so she hoped...

The hard part now was getting the wagon lifted so that she could attach the replacement wheel. This would have been a lot easier with an extra hoof to assist her... but Applejack was no beggar.

First, she removed every single basket of fruit—a task that took nearly half-an-hour. Next, she grabbed several two-by-fours and a mound of mulch. Positioning the mulch beneath the right side of the wagon, she utilized it and the two-by-fours as a primitive lever mechanism. It took all her feeble strength... but the teenager was eventually able to tip the wagon up so that its front right side was raised high enough to work with.

"Rrnnnngh... mrnnnngh... guhhh!"

Sweating and heaving, Applejack pressed a shorter plank between the wagon and the soil, locking it in place. Under the starry night sky, she then set to work in removing the old wheel and sliding in the new one. This required ratcheting and unratcheting numerous nuts and bolts—a mechanical process that the mare was none-too-familiar with. So she had to learn on the spot... which required—to her frustration—more than two hours of frustration and multiple wasted trips back and forth to the barn for previously-inconceivable tools.

At last, the mare was sliding the newer wheel onto the wagon. However, it was resisting her. Applejack pondered if she needed to add more grease in order to make it fit in place, but the night had stretched on long enough and she was losing valuable time. So, with stubborn might, she pushed and shoved against the wheel. At last—with a swift jolt—it shoved neatly into place.

The problem was—Applejack's grip slipped, and her front left forelimb scraaaaaaaped against the lower chassis of the wagon. The air instantly smelled of blood, but Applejack could hardly notice through the blinding-flash of pain.

"Aaaaaaaaugh!" The teenager shrieked then fell back on her haunches. She rolled over into a fetal position, clutching her fetlock as hot streams of blood trickled loose. "Ssnkkkkt-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!" The mare's eyes clenched shut as she gnashed her teeth. Her muscles quivered as wave after wave of pain rolled through her tiny body. "Mrmmmmfghh—aaaaghhh! Mmmmm-Mamaaaaa... Mamaaaa..."

It took a minute or two for the true torture of that exclamation to set in. Applejack silenced it by silencing herself. So she sat there in a slump, waiting for the numbness to take over.

It never did.

Eventually, she sat up, blinking away the tears. She gazed through the misty amber light of the lanterns, examining her wounded fetlock. Sniffling.

The cut was deep... but she had had worse. Or so she told herself.

Sighing, the mare fought the shudders in her lungs and limped towards the barn.

"Mrnnngh..."

Applejack's limb stung like it was on fire. The ointment was doing its job. Beside her—scattered across a lamp-lit table—a series of bloodied needles and suture strings lay in a scattered mess. Using her teeth, the mare tightly bundled a bandage around her injured limb.

Then, taking a brave breath, she stood up—testing her weight on her patched wound.

It hurt to stand.

So... she walked.

Taking a swig of water, she weathered a heavy breath and shuffled out—wincing—to rejoin the wagon, tighten the new wheel in place, and resume bucking the apples off trees.

All the while, a cold sun rose in the east.

It was soon morning.

Deliver Us from Apples

Applejack breathed in.

She breathed out.

She breathed in.

One ear twitched.

Then the other.

Skittering legs. A random spider crawled across her neck.

The mare's eyes fluttered open. She saw nothing but tree bark.

"Grnnngh—!" She leaned back from where her face had been pressed against the trunk of an apple tree. She brushed the spider off and spat specks of dust out of her muzzle. Shaking her head with a flounce of her blond ponytail, the mare looked around.

It was early morning. The grass of Sweet Apple Acres glistened with dew. All around her were buckets half-filled with apples.

The mare blinked.

She had fallen asleep in mid-bucking.

"Mrmmffff..."

The mare sighed. Heavily.

She shifted her weight—only to wince from the pain in her bandaged forelimb. Her muzzle scrunched and unscrunched. Applejack raised her good hoof up to feel her face. There were several gnarled impressions made by the constant contact of tree bark against her coat.

Another sigh.

Applejack turned around, teetering on stiff limbs. She squinted at the nearby fields—at the trees and trees that remained untouched. More apples hung off the branches than she could count. The mare was exhausted—and her stomach was empty.

"... ... ..." Applejack looked at the baskets lying next to her. She exhaled. Turning, she glanced at the heart of the homestead. Her emerald eyes fell on the wagons covered in tarps—full of fruit. She tongued the inside of her muzzle.

Cl-Click!

Applejack finished harnessing herself to the foremost wagon full of fruit.

Exhaling sharply, she faced the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres and took a bold step.

Her hoof scuffed against the soil and she fell flat on her muzzle.

"Ooomf!"

Applejack winced—dangling from the harness. With tensing muscles, she picked herself back up. She flung an angry glance at the wagon behind her... then calmed herself with even breaths.

A minute later, she stepped forward again—slowly this time. It took a great deal of muscle power, and the pressure applied to her fetlocks was excrutiating, but the petite teenager was finally able to get the wagon full of harvested fruit moving.

The pace was nightmarishly sluggish, but Applejack managed the best she could. Once she cleared the front gate of Sweet Apple Acres and got onto the dirt road leading into Ponyville, the wheels of the wagon met even traction, and soon she was approaching the heart of town at an appreciable speed.

It didn't stop the rising sun from roasting the air around her, and Applejack sweated the whole way through.

A sales clerk in a blue apron stood outside of Barnyarn Bargains, taking stock of a recent delivery of shipping crates. The young stallion's ears tickled to the sound of grinding wagon wheels. He looked up, blinking.

Huffing and puffing, Applejack rolled to a stop with the wagon. She took a brief moment to catch her breath, then unhitched herself. "H-howdy," the mare wheezed.

"Uhhhhhh..." The clerk fidgeted awkwardly. He glanced at the commercial district of Ponyville, then back at the tiny blonde. "Can I help you?"

"Where's... Filthy... Rich...?" Applejack stammered.

"Mr. Rich?" The stallion blinked. "He's out on a business meeting. With the Town Mayor."

"Right. Of course." Applejack shuddered as she lowered the back panel of the wagon. "Whatever. Just deliver a message for me, will ya?"

"Whoah whoah whoah—" The clerk waved a clipboard at the mare and her wagon. "Do you have a delivery order for all of that—?"

"These here are Sweet Apple Acres apples," Applejack said in a growling tone. "The harvest bounty is due in three days. This here's the first shipment."

"But I-I can't just—"

"You tell Filthy Rich..."" Applejack peeked around the edge of the wagon, glaring daggers at the young stallion. "...that I'll be making more deliveries. And the rest of the fruit—as requested—will all be here in less than three days. That's the honest truth. Got it?"

The clerk gulped, smiling crookedly. "Y-yes ma'am."

"Good." Applejack grunted, heaving the first of several baskets out of the wagon and laying it behind the back of the store. "Now this will only take a sec..."

"Here." The clerk placed his clipboard down on a stack of crates and trotted over. "Let me help you with—"

"No!" The teenager barked, causing the employee to flinch again. Clearing her throat, Applejack reiterated: "I've got it. This here's Sweet Apple Acres stock until it's out of the wagon. Y'hear?"

"Uh... sure thing, ma'am."

"I'll be back later this afternoon..." Applejack managed between wheezing breaths, pulling the baskets out and stacking them. "Just you wait."

Dangerously Honest

Applejack breathed with relief.

The wagon she was pulling was now empty, and it made the trek back home a thousand times easier.

Nevertheless, with less muscles tightening to support a heavy load, it gave Applejack's stomach room to gurgle. And gurgle it did.

The mare winced, scuffling to a stop. She stood, hitched to the wagon, in the heart of Ponyville.

Her stomach gurgled again.

Sighing, the mare glanced around. She spotted a bright pink building in the corner of her vision. The architecture looked promising.

With a defeated sigh, she pivoted the wagon and went trotting towards the structure.

D-Ding!

Cup Cake trotted pleasantly out of the kitchen and towards Sugarcube Corner's front counter. "Good morniiiiiiing!" She sing-songed. "Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! What can I getcha—" She froze in place, blinking.

A teenage Applejack strutted up to the counter. She had a bandaged hoof, several bruises on her muzzle, and countless flakes of bark and tree-leaves stuck in her single ponytail.

"Oh... uh... hi there!" Cup Cake held a timid smile. "Applejack... was it?" Carrot Cake stuck his head out of the kitchen upon hearing that.

Applejack didn't answer. She stared at all of the glazed desserts beneath the glass display. Her freckles disappeared beneath a scrunching muzzle. At last, she looked up.

"Got anythang that's less sweet and... more filling?"

"Filling?" Cup Cake nervously glanced over her shoulder. "Uhhhh..."

"Uhhhh..." Carrot brightened. "Banana bread! I've got a fresh loaf just this morning! Of course... it goes great with plenty of butter—"

"Just the loaf, please." Applejack reached into a bit bag. "How much will that be?"

"Ohhhhhh dearie..." Cup Cake smiled warmly. "Let's j-just say it's on the house."

"Nonsense. It's good hard work bakin' bread," Applejack murmured. "You deserve an honest payment and an honest payment is what you'll get."

"Uhhhhhh..." Cup Cake shifted about nervously.

"A loaf of banana bread?!" A bright little figure bounced into frame. "That's three bits, Mrs. Cake, isn't it?"

Cup Cake sighed. "Pinkie..."

"Four bits it is, then." Applejack dropped the coins. "And if you could wrap that up in some paper. Thank ya kindly."

"Wow!" A fluffy-mane'd teenager leaned in, bright eyes blinking. "You must be part monkey!"

Applejack blinked tiredly. "I beg yer pardon?"

"Cuz you're absolutely bananas for banana bread!" The earth pony giggle-snorted. "Hehehe! Saaaaaaaay..." She leaned in, pink nostrils flaring. "You smell like hay and cider! Are you from an apple farm?"

"Yes." Applejack slurred. "Reckon I am."

Cup Cake cleared her throat. "Pinkie, dearie, why don't you make yourself useful and go sweep up the—"

"I came from a farm too! Only... we harvested rocks! Which are slightly less chewy than apples! Just don't tell my sister Maud." Another giggle-snort, and the fluffy mare extended her forelimb. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! And I just came in from Dredgemane!"

Applejack adjusted her ponytail and did a tiny, tired curtsey. "Pleased to meet ya." She looked past the counter, waiting for Carrot to return with the banana bread.

"Gettin' in an honest day's work?" Pinkie asked. "Those apples aren't gonna buck themselves off the trees!"

"No. They sure won't."

"Bet you've got the whole farm goin' at it! That's how the Pies do it back home!"

"Nope." Applejack stifled a yawn. "Just me."

Pinkie's blue eyes widened. "Just you?!"

"Eeyup."

Carrot Cake returned with the bundled banana bread. "Say... uh... Miss Applejack..." He shared his wife's look of concern as he hoofed the teenager the loaf. "...I don't suppose you ponies might be wanting... some help with the apple harvesting?"

"We're fine." Applejack took the wrapped-up loaf. "Thank y'all kindly for the bread." She turned to leave.

"Don't be like that, silly!" Pinkie Pie bounced after her. "We're earth ponies! And if there's anything I've learned about Ponvyille—it's that earth ponies look out for one another!"

"I'm sure we do." Applejack marched towards the exit. She felt the eyes of patrons on her and the bouncing figure to her rear. She started sweating. "And if I need y'all's help, I'm sure I'll ask for it."

"How about asking for it now?" Pinkie Pie grinned wide. "Doesn't hurt to get an extra set of helping hooves! Why, I may be used to shoving rocks around, but it can't be all that different from apples! How 'bout I come to the farm with you? I'll pull the wagon at least!"

"I'm fine—"

"Come onnnn! It's the least we can do after what happened to your Mommy and D—"

"I said I'm fine!" Applejack turned, teeth gnashing. "We're fine! Did I come in here askin' for more than some morning vittles?!" Her voice echoed, and she saw how far back Pinkie Pie was leaning away from her. A dull sigh escaped her lips as she calmed. "Look... it's very kind of you to offer. But t'ain't nopony's commitment but my own."

"But..." Pinkie Pie blinked, lips pouting. She whimpered, "Isn't anyone helping you? Anypony at all?"

Applejack's nostrils flared. "It's like I said. It's my commitment." Glaring, she turned and marched out the door. "And if I can't live up to that, then I can't live up to nothin'."

Pinkie Pie watched lonesomely, her bright ears drooping. Cup and Carrot strolled up and gently patted her shoulder, gazing after the blonde farm mare.

Applejack sat on the side of a hill in Sweet Apple Acres, gazing at all of the work that still needed to be done.

Sighing, she took another deep bite of the banana bread. She paused, gazing down at the food that had been generously provided her. A sad sigh escaped her muzzle, and she resumed eating.

Soon, the entire loaf was gone. Applejack brushed off her hooves, stood up, returned the neckerchief to her throat...

...and continued with the day's heavy labor.

Top Apple

"Grnnngh!"

Whappp!

Applejack slammed yet another tree. Apples fell... somewhere. She could scarcely notice when or where beyond the fog and ache of the day.

Shuddering, the mare squatted briefly on her hindquarters to catch her breath. The day was hot and it only got hotter. Applejack was certain that she was sunburnt in multiple places, but the thick coating of sweat over her petite body kept her from accurately gauging her condition.

As her breaths normalized, she caught the sound of crunching leaves and grass between the lungfuls. A green shape came to a stumbling stop in her peripheral vision.

"What in the Sam Hill is goin' on here?" It was Granny Smith. "Applejack? I was just goin' outside to fetch some water for Apple Bloom when I noticed the wagons full of apples were gone."

"I know, Granny." Applejack shuddered.

An emerald frown materialized beside the baskets. Wrinkled and angry. "And just where might they have gone?"

Applejack dabbed her freckled face with her neckerchief. "To town, Granny."

"To town?! Since when?"

"Since I took 'em." Applejack stood up. Icily, she marched past Granny Smith and began stacking baskets full of apples beside an empty cart. "Two-thirds of the harvest have been delivered to Filthy Rich."

"AJ..."

"I'll have the rest packin' in less than three days." Applejack shoved the baskets aside, grabbed an empty one, and approached another tree. "By now, Filthy should have gotten word of the delivery. We're gonna make the exchange on time."

"AJ, I thought I done told you just to leave it!" Granny Smith stomped a crooked forelimb. "It's too late to salvage the harvest this season! Best to let the tree limbs gather more fruit and double up months from now!"

"That ain't gonna work in our favor, Granny," Applejack said. She faced the next tree as the muscles in her face tightened. "We're sweatin' our flanks off just tryin' to make things even as it is."

"And since when were you the expert on family finances?" Granny Smith squinted a single eye. "Eh?" Her nostrils flared during the ensuing silence. "You deaf, filly? I done asked you a question!"

"Our family made a promise to Filthy Rich. A business promise," Applejack huffed, placing an empty basket in place. "And it's somethin' I aim to keep."

"Consarnit, Applejack!" Granny Smith spat. "Haven't you learned yer lesson already 'bout makin' newfangled ideas over how to run my farm—"

"It ain't yer dayum farm!" Applejack boomed, glaring daggers at the old mare.

Granny Smith leaned back a sharp forty-five degrees. Blinking.

"It hasn't been for years!" Applejack continued, fuming. "And just because yer only son died doesn't give you the right to take it back if all yer gonna do is run it into the mud!"

"I..." Granny Smith winced. "I-I'm not—"

"Hush!" Applejack hissed. "T'ain't no discussion that we're havin'! Rrrrrgh!" She slammed the tree hard, causing apples to fall around them.

Granny Smith flinched as if she was being dive bombed by the fruit.

A growling voice issued between them as Applejack slurred, "This family's two hooves short now, but that dun make it right for us to fall back on our commitments. If we're to stay afloat, then we gotta keep doin' the work that's required of us! If you and Big Mac wanna lie around and mourn, so be it—but do it on yer own time! Dun drag all that's left of this family with you! 'Cuz from the look of things, I'm the only pony with a lick of sense around here! And if I'm the only one workin' to keep Sweet Apple Acres alive, then—as far as I'm concerned—this is my farm! And if I say that we're gonna deliver the apples to Mr. Rich by the end of harvest season, then that's what we're doin'! No excuses!"

Applejack huffed and puffed. She kicked the tree again and wiped the sweat from her brow. She looked across the way.

Granny Smith remained dead-still, blinking with beady eyes.

"Look..." Applejack wheezed. "I'm mighty thankful that yer lookin' after Apple Bloom n'all. But she—more than any other pony—deserves to inherit the same land that her Ma and Pa sacrificed so hard to keep alive. And for her to make anythang good outta that, she's gotta do more than just grow up. She's gotta learn by example. So if you and Big Mac are aimin' to be sad and angry—then let yer frustrations out in a smart direction! In a useful direction! And that's by helpin' me get these dag nab'd apples off the trees and now!"

As the air filled with more thunderous bucking, the Apple Family matriarch leaned back and swallowed a lump down her throat.

"Applejack..." Granny Smith grimaced. "I never meant for you to take on this burden..."

"T'ain't yer place to decide. I was the one who rolled up here and began buckin' trees." Applejack took a deep breath. "You had yer time for ponies to lean on you and depend on yer gumption. Now it's my turn. It's..." She gnashed her teeth, avoiding Granny's gaze. "It's what they woulda wanted, Granny. I... I'm sure of it."

"Darlin'—"

"I ain't humorin' no more talk unless it's to get thangs done around here!" Applejack growled. "If you wanna grumble nonsense and pointless platitudes, then go share it with Apple Bloom!" Huffing, she turned to approach the next tree. "Can't afford to break my stride now..."

Granny Smith said nothing.

The silence went on for seconds... minutes...

At last, after Applejack was finished with a row of trees, she wiped her brow and turned around.

She was the only pony on the hill. She expected no less.

Jaw clenched, she slid the filled baskets to the wagon, grabbed some more empty containers...

...and continued with her torturous task.

Seedling

Applejack was watching apples fall, but she could no longer feel the dull thud of her hooves making contact with the tree trunks. All was breaths and sweat. She burned forward, each step a torturous exercise in repetition.

Row after row, she stripped the orchards of their fruit. It took multiple wagon trips to store up the barn with the bounty she was gradually harvesting. And yet—whenever she so much as glanced back at the heart of the ranch—the collected baskets looked incalculably fewer than her muscles had implied they would be.

Huffing, she tore the offensive image out of sight by keeping her eyes forward. Her vision locked on one tree at a time as she approached it, pivoted, and slammed her rear hooves at full force.

Thwack!

"Aaaugh!" Applejack cried out. She stumbled backwards in intense pain, grimacing hard. She looked down at her rear legs.

Blood trickled out of a fresh scrape just above her right fetlock. The sweat in her eyes must have blinded her, preventing her from noticing an errant branch with its pointy end aimed outward.

The blonde teenager sniffled. She looked behind her.

A wagon lay in the setting sun, half-empty.

Panting, she turned and looked at her leg again.

The cut was shallow. It would be wasting too much time to bandage it up.

So—limping—Applejack gathered the apples, proceeded to the other tree, steeled her lungs, and slammed her legs again.

WHACK!

"Mmmgnnh—ah!" the young mare yelped, eyes clinching shut. She shook, shuddered, and finally fought back the tears.

After a heavy sigh, she bent over, gathered the apples, and dropped them into the basket...

...before proceeding to the next tree, bracing herself for the pain, and bucking yet again.

"Mrmmmf—guh!"

Applejack's lower joints screamed. Nevertheless, she raised her body up as high as she could and threw a basket into the back of the wagon with her forelimbs.

Once finished, she slumped against a wooden wheel, panting for breath.

She stared at a lopside world shrouded in darkness. A halo of torchlight illuminated the cart, grass, and immediate tree trunks surrounding her.

And through her peripheral vision, she could still sense the unmistakable glint of dangling fruit.

Applejack sniffled.

Applejack whimpered.

Then...

...tossing her ponytail over her neck, she turned around... and hobbled back to her nightly task.

Applejack went too far forward.

She had gathered apples from an errant patch of trees at the base of a hill, several yards from where the wagon was parked. Now, in the hazy morning grayness, she found herself having to trot uphill in order to reach the cart.

She made it no more than five feet up the earthen incline before the weight of the basket overtook her.

"Grfff—rrrgh—augh!" She fell flat on her chest. Whump! Every joint and muscle screamed. The wounds in opposite fetlocks throbbed, and the nerves in between caught on fire.

Applejack bit her lip so hard it drew blood. She tensed her remaining limbs, pushed... pulled... and finally inched her way up the hill.

"Grnnngh... hrmmmghh... ffnnnghh..."

Applejack slithered... crawling on her belly like a lame pig. At some point, she brushed past several weeds crawling with aphids. Her skin itched and her mane was a frazzled mess, barely held within the red ribbon of her ponytail.

And it was at this point that Applejack stopped in place.

She panted and panted.

She gazed up the hill.

The wagon was miles away. The light of morning receded... turning gray and grayer... like polished granite.

Applejack seethed and seethed...

And soon the frown gave way to a limp expression as she let her muzzle drop to the earth.

And she cried.

She cried like she had never cried before. More than when a terrible blizzard had killed off half the livestock. More than during her short-lived vacation to Manehattan. More than when her parents had died. For this was worse... and it could only get worst. It could only...

"... ... ..." Applejack clenched her teeth. Her green eyes flashed open, and she snarled through the curtain of tears. "Rnnnngh!"

Her elbows shook... shivered... then turned hard as stone. She slowly raised herself up. Every nerve exploded. Every muscle screamed in agony.

But she got up... and she stepped forward... climbing the hilltop... approaching the wagon one thunderous hoofstep at a time.

She cried the entire way up.

She cried as she approached the next line of trees.

She cried as the bucking motions sent her joints popping and her brain flying nightmarishly through the stratosphere.

But slowly...

Orchard by orchard...

...she was getting the harvest done.

Sapling

Thwack!

Apples fell to the basket. There were somehow more of them this time. More of them falling.

Applejack exhaled. Her fetlocks ached and her lungs burned.

But she withstood it.

Sniffling, the mare brushed a forelimb across her face.

There were less tears to dry.

She would remember this.

Shoving the half-full basket to an adjacent tree, she swung her legs and struck it once more.

Th-Thud!

The rest of the basket filled.

A hot wind blew over Applejack's tussled mane in the afternoon light.

She sliced through the gale like a razor sharp knife.

She shoved the basket towards the wagon with one hoof then proceeded to the next line of trees.

Her eyes were dry. Bloodshot. She felt an incurable itch across her brow. It had been days without a bath. Applejack didn't know where the mud began and her blood ended.

She didn't care.

A curious thought chanced through her skull. She turned and looked at the heart of the ranch, no longer afraid of what she might see.

To her surprise, there were two more full wagons than she had expected.

Applejack made a mental note before slamming another tree, sensing a jolt beyond the numbness.

Whack!

Applejack rolled into Ponyville's market district.

She was pulling two wagons chock-full of apples. The rear cart had been hastily attached to the front one. It was enough to survive the journey.

Two clerks standing outside Barnyarn Bargains couldn't help but stare, muzzles agape.

She looked emotionlessly at them. Strolling to a stop, the teenager unhitched herself from the wagon and gestured at it.

"Y'all know the drill," she droned.

The two clerks dumbly nodded.

Applejack's nostrils flared. "I'll come back for the wagons when the harvest is done."

With that, she turned and trotted back towards Sweet Apple Acres before anypony could say anything.

Her joints felt like giving out at any time. She wouldn't let them. There was so little time left. If Applejack ran, she knew that her fetlocks would howl in pain.

So she sprinted as swiftly as she could.

Wham!

Applejack kicked another tree.

It hurt.

Everything hurt.

She collected the apples and dashed to the next tree in a burst of energy. Her blood boiled. Her eyes darted towards every glinting shape on her endless hunt for fruit.

Pain and stiffness encompassed her. She was unstoppable.

"Rnnngh!" She spun and kicked the tree.

It only took one buck for all the fruit to fall. She was no longer surprised by this.

Wiping her brow, she glanced towards the wagons resting uphill. It would be a long trek and she needed to save time. She glanced at her filling baskets in quiet contemplation.

Applejack marched uphill...

With three baskets...

Stacked up on top of one another...

Atop of her...

She huffed and puffed. She pushed through the pain. She saw the bright sun cresting over the hilltop and verdant trees.

She didn't smile.

And yet—for the first time in as long as she remembered—she knew that there would be a time for it.

But that time wasn't now.

"Hrnnngh!"

She tossed the baskets neatly into the back of the wagon, hitched herself to the cart, and dragged it effortlessly to the remaining orchards.

Ripening

Applejack's numb body shook with the latest tree-bucking.

She slumped forward, catching herself on the lid of a wooden basket.

Leaning against the container full of apples, she panted and panted—allowing the sweat to dry across her brow and forelimbs.

The teenager swallowed a lump down her throat. Standing straight up, she turned about and peered at all of the work she had done.

Line after line of orchards had been bucked fully clean of apples. It was as though a cyclone had swept over Sweet Apple Acres, swallowing up nothing but fruit before depositing them neatly into stacks of wooden baskets.

Applejack couldn't help it. She smirked at her own hardwork.

And then...

...she took a glance at the eastern stretch of farmland.

Dozens upon dozens of lines of orchards lay in wait—full of fruit and completely unbucked.

Applejack's ears instantly drooped. Nevertheless, with a determined scowl, she readjusted her ponytail, heaved the basket over her flank, and threw it neatly into the back of a cart. With tight muscles—and combatting exhaustion—the able-bodied teenager grabbed another empty basket and shoved it towards the nearest row of trees. Breath after deep breath, she approached the nearest trunk in her vision.

Th-Thwack! A pair of scarlet red fetlocks struck the tree trunk.

Applejack stumbled to a stop, blinking. Her green eyes darted up while her lips pursed.

As the entire tree's worth of apples fell cleanly into the basket below, Big Macintosh turned to look at his younger sibling.

A curious fidget rolled through Applejack's figure. "Big Mac...?"

The stallion looked at her. "... ... ..." He smiled.

Applejack's brow furrowed.

Big Macintosh nudged the basket easily to the next tree, kicked it, and dropped all of the fruit in less than thirty seconds. Once that was done, he tilted his snout skyward and whistled shrilly without wasting so much as a breath.

Hoofsteps broke through the afternoon air.

Curious, Applejack whirled around.

Equine figures trotted up the hillside in sudden droves. She recognized a few faces: Carrot Top and the Golden Harvest family from a few plots of land away. Carrot Cake and Cup Cake. The Apple Family's distant cousins from the next town over. Even the Mayor.

"Come on, ponies!" the elder in question smiled as she drew a cart up the hill. It was a challenging effort for the dainty pen-pusher, but she nevertheless braved the sweat while bringing the wagon full of baskets to the hilltop. "We've got many trees to strip clean!"

"Sure thing, Miss Mayor!" Carrot Cake said jubilantly. He caught a glance of Applejack and winked slyly. A pink figure bounced past him, balancing a tray of refreshments on her teenage flank and giggling.

Applejack blinked. She jerked at the sound of a familiar drawling voice.

"Dun go ahead of Big Mac, y'hear!" Granny Smith said. "This is still our fruit yer helpin' with! Remember!"

"Granny...?" Applejack frowned briefly, her legs locking beneath her sweatied muscles. "For Celestia's sake! I've got this!"

"I know, darlin'." Granny Smith gazed gently at her. She smiled. "We know you do."

Applejack blinked. "But... but why—?"

"Yer not the only one who needs to be out here," Granny said in a soft tone. "You've had yer turn. Now let us have a whack at it. Okay, sugarcube?"

Applejack opened her mouth to say something. She ended up standing dull and dormant. She looked over her shoulder just in time to see Big Mac slamming the first of many remaining trees. He motioned towards the other ponies, then gestured at the easternmost orchards.

"Dun over-exert yerself, Big Mac!" Granny Smith exclaimed. "Hey, neighbors! If y'all want directions..." She reached over and slapped Applejack's shoulder. "This here's the one to listen to! After all, it's her farm, folks!"

Applejack exhaled in a shudder. When her breaths returned, it was through a delicate smile. Brushing her bangs back, she stepped boldly towards the group of gathered ponies and spoke loudly: "Thank ya mighty kindly, y'all! First thang's first!" She pointed. "We gotta tackle that line of trees over yonder! The soil's mighty saturated there, which means the fruit could spoil faster if we dun buck 'em first! Y'hear?"

"Eeyup!" Big Mac let loose.

"Right away, Applejack!" The Mayor said, huffing and puffing through her meager attempts at assistance. "You heard the pony, citizens! Let's get to that fruit!"

A full line of workers surged towards the orchards. Applejack joined them... full of renewed strength.

The Sweetest of Apples and Acres

Th-Thwack!

Whump!

Thump!

Wh-Wham!

More fruit were bucked clear of the trees in an hour than Applejack had managed in an entire day. Despite the amazing progress, there was no... stresfful sense of urgency among the group helping the Apple Family out. In fact, the atmosphere was positively merry, with ponyfolk pausing to chat amicably about past memories while in the midst of apple bucking. Within a span of hours, a good half of Applejack's remaining task had been completely tackled.

Applejack couldn't help but seize the moment. She sat back on the crest of a hill, catching her breath and allowing the darkening hours of the day to cool her aching body to rest.

It wasn't long after that a pink hoof stretched into view, cradling a tray of bottled red goodness.

"How 'bout a cool, refreshing Hawhinny Punch?" The fluffy mane'd teenager winked. "I promise I won't hit you. Heehee."

Applejack glanced at her, then took one look at the drink. All inhibitions had vanished, and she gladly took the bottle... slurping liberally from the straw. Her body relaxed as sweet, cold nectar rolled down her throat.

"I know it's nothing like Sweet Apple Cider!" the earth pony said, hugging the empty tray to her chest. "Altough I've yet to drink any of the world-famous Sweet Apple Cider, but Mr. and Mrs. Cake tell me that it's super duper tasty! Ponies from far and wide gather along the road to this farm to have a single sip of the stuff! That must be really really neat!"

Applejack reluctantly broke from sipping to smile and say. "This is pretty dang nice. Thanks a bunch."

"Don't mention it!" The mare smiled, beaming. "There's plenty more where that came from! All you gotta do is ask!"

"Uhm..." Applejack squinted. "What's yer name again?"

"Pinkie Pie!"

Applejack snorted. "Heheh... of course it is."

"And believe me!" Pinkie Pie stuck her tongue out before falling into helpless giggles. "I can bake a pie like nopony's business! I hear you're pretty good at making apple pies! One of these days, you and I should have a Pie-Off! For funsies, of course. Hehehe!"

"Heh... reckon so..."

"Only when you feel like it, of course," Pinkie added in a remarkably sober tone.

Applejack gulped. She looked delicately at the other teenager. "Look, Pinkie Pie... about the way I treated you and the Cake folks the other day—"

"Ehhhhhhh..." Pinkie Pie waved a hoof. "Water off Holder's Boulder's back!"

"But really..." Applejack's ears folded. "It was mighty rude of me. I'm awful sorry for bein' so short with y'all."

Pinkie Pie smiled at her. "I think... when it feels like life doesn't reward us for being nice... it's only natural to try being rude."

Applejack blinked.

"Some of us switch faces. Me? I'm switching places. And you know what? I'm absolutely loving it here!" She giggled. "This is a very sweet town, Applejack. I think you of all ponies knows how it got that way."

Applejack sighed, her eyes misting slightly. "Reckon I know who's responsible."

"Hmmmmm... and they'll be super glad you're keeping it that way."

Applejack bit her lip.

Humming, Pinkie Pie leaned forward and pointed up the hill. "Don't look nowwwwww..."

Applejack turned to see Granny Smith trotting into view with Apple Bloom draped in a soft, velvety saddlebag. She finished exchanging words with Cup Cake, then glanced over to see Applejack looking at her.

Applejack finished the last of the fruit punch, then hoofed it to Pinkie Pie. She marched up the hill.

Cup Cake cleared her throat and made herself scarced. Soon it was Applejack and Granny Smith standing face to face with Apple Bloom gurgling innocently in the background.

"How... uh... how is Apple Bloom holdin' up?" Applejack asked.

"Oh... y'know..." Granny Smith waved a wrinkled hoof. "She could bounce back from anythang... not that I'm in the habit of droppin' the little dickens, of course."

"Right..." Applejack nodded awkwardly. "Of course not."

Granny Smith squinted. "You got rid of yer pigtails."

"What? Oh... uhm..." Applejack fidgeted, avoiding Granny's gaze. "Sorry for... uhm... breakin' with tradition."

"Ain't no thang, darlin'," Granny said with a slight smirk. "They always got in the way of work for me as well."

"Yeah..."

"Mmmhmmm..."

Silence... at least until Applejack sniffled.

"Granny..."

"Yes, sugarcube?"

Applejack's muzzle grimaced as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "I sure am sorry for yellin' at you the way I did."

"Now now, Applejack..."

"I mean it..." Applejack gulped. "You've given everythang to this family... to this land. I've no right to say the things I did. This is yer farm in the end."

Granny Smith stepped closer, eyes narrow and firm. "This land belongs to ponies who earn it. And since yer Ma and Pa d-died..." She weathered a heavy breath. "...I've sure let it fall to ruin. Or... at least... I almost would have... hadn't ya woken us up the way you did."

Applejack glanced at Big Macintosh in the distance, then back at Granny Smith. "Did... did you...?"

"Didn't take much to talk some sense into him." Granny Smith bore a wrinkled smirk. "Granted, I wasn't quite as hard about it as you was. But... seems that Big Mac has always been a softy at heart... and now that's all on the surface. It's just high time we all accepted it." She sighed. "It's high-time we accepted a lot of thangs. But... y'know..." She reached forward and caressed Applejack's muzzle. "...I'm rather proud of how it's all turnin' out. Really, I am."

Applejack smiled tearfully. With grace, she grasped Granny's fetlock with two strong hooves. "I'm so... so sorry for yellin' at ya, Granny," she spoke sincerely. "I promise I'll never holler at you again."

"And I promise to never give you a reason to." Granny winked. Apple Bloom cooed, and she pivoted aside.

Applejack leaned down to rub noses with the infant. "That's right, ya little rascal." She ruffled the filly's tuft of red hair. "The drama's over. Sorry to let you down, Apple Bloom, but things around here are downright borin'."

"Hah hah hah!" Granny Smith slapped her knee, nearly jostling Apple Bloom out of the saddlebag. "At least give the little'un some hope, AJ!"

"Heh... reckon that'll come natural by the time she can listen and read."

"Now that's the spirit," Granny Smith said. And the two ponies leaned in to nuzzle each other while Apple Bloom made sweet melodic noises.

Brother and Sister

Applejack trotted gently past several ponies bucking trees around her. A sunset drew a crimson curtain over the landscape, making everything rosy and dreamlike. In the distance, Pinkie Pie sang a quirky song, and it brought chuckles to most of the adults and teenagers sweating it out.

Applejack looked to her left. Golden Harvest and the rest of her family waved kindly at the teenager.

Applejack waved back. She looked to her right. Distant relations worked on another row of trees. One petite pony in particular looked at her: a gentle stallion, or perhaps a brown mane'd mare. Applejack couldn't make the figure out in the sunsetlight, but the bashful smile and gentle hoof-wave she received was as sincere as ever.

Applejack returned the gesture. Then, with a heavy breath, she looked straight ahead at the target of her stroll.

Big Macintosh was busy heaving several stacks of baskets into the back of a wagon. The effortless way in which he tackled the laborious task made Applejack instantly jealous. But that wasn't why she was here.

"Ahem..." Applejack managed.

Big Mac finished with one last shove of the wooden containers and turned to look down at his younger sister. He smiled delicately.

"So..." Applejack rubbed the back of her neck. "...Granny Smith talked you out of yer funk, huh?"

"Mmmmm..." Big Mac nodded. "Eeyup."

"And..." Applejack bit her lip. "...yer not mad at me for tryin' to tackle so much on my own?"

Big Mac shook his head. "Eenope." He suddenly squinted, then leaned forward to bat the golden end of her single ponytail.

"Eheh..." Applejack fidgeted, toying with her mane. "Guess you ain't the only apple tryin' on a new coat of shine. Huh?"

Big Mac nodded in silence.

Applejack looked up at him, smiling. The smile faded—however—as she asked: "Did... did you ever fix Grandpappy's old rusted plow?"

Big Macintosh sighed, his eyes falling to the floor. "Eenope." His ears drooped. He sniffled.

Applejack drifted forward. She raised two forelimbs.

Big Mac's eyes teared up. He leaned forward instantly and scooped Applejack into a deep hug. As soon as he felt her tender warmth, he shuddered... tears rolling down his red face.

The two siblings hugged each other tightly as their quiet sobs formed a mutual melody.

"We're gonna m-make it, Big Mac," Applejack whimpered, her voice tempered by a strong tone beyond the shudders. "Ya hear?" She patted his side as the two rocked in each other's embrace. "We're all gonna be just fine."

"Mmmm..." Big Mac nuzzled her neck, squeezing her shoulders. "E-eeyup." He sighed again, sniffling. "Eeyup."

The apples fell. As did the sun. And not long after darkness had washed over the land...

...the harvest was completely finished.

The Richest Ponies in Equestria

Scrrrrrrrk!

Orange hooves slid a container out of the back of a wagon.

Thump!

After dropping the last basket of apples behind Barnyarn Bagains, Applejack looked up with a bright smile. Her mane was neatly brushed into a thick ponytail and her freckles shone from a full night's sleep and an early morning shower.

"Thank ya kindly for keepin' the back door open for me," the teenager said, slapping the back latch of the wagon shut. "Better deliver early than later, ya reckon?"

"Thanks a lot Miss Applejack," the employee said, marking down a sheet of paper on his clipboard.

"Please..." Applejack waved a hoof, chuckling. "Just 'Applejack' will do. Or 'AJ,' if yer feelin' extra casual-like."

"Heh..." The clerk smirked. "Sure thing. I'll tell the boss that you made the last delivery a day early—" At the sound of clamoring hoofsteps, he and his associate looked over their shoulders at a haphazardly parked stagecoach. "Oh! Speak of the devil!"

Panting, Filthy Rich galloped to a stop before AJ. "Applejack!" He swiped the sweat off his brow and straightened his tie. "Oh, I'm so glad I found ya, darlin'! I heard about what happened!"

"I know! Isn't it fantastic?" Applejack smiled wide. "A whole bunch of the local ponyfolk showed up and helped me finish buckin' the apple trees on time! Even Mr. and Mrs. Cake arrived with refreshments—"

"No, I mean all of the heavy labor that you put yerself through!" Filthy Rich grimaced. "Strugglin' on yer lonesome to get all of the apples harvested in time!" The stallion pointed at her bandaged fetlock. "I can tell it took its toll on yer poor lil' soul."

"Eheh..." Applejack fidgeted, dragging her hoof back and leaning against the cart. "I'm fine, Mr. Rich. Honestly, I am."

"Applejack, darlin', please." Filthy Rich smiled sympathetically at her. "You must forgive me! I was off at a business meeting for most of the week. I wish you had sent a letter or somethin' to catch my attention! If I had known that you were goin' through so much hardship, I would have easily postponed the delivery date by a week! Even longer!"

"Mr. Rich. It's all okay!" Applejack stifled a giggle. "Everythang worked out in the end. And... if you must know..." She sighed gently, her lips remaining curved. "I think all that 'heavy labor' was just the sort of thang I needed in order to... straighten myself out."

Filthy's eyes wandered to her mane, then back to her pleasant face. He breathed easier, a warm smile spreading across his aged features. "Yes... I reckon you could have used a good stretch of the legs... f-for spirit."

Applejack simply nodded.

"Y'know, Applejack..." Filthy Rich trotted closer and rested a hoof on her shoulder. "When... when my Pa passed away... I was devastated for months. Unlike you, I had very few ponies to depend on. It was no fault but my own, of course. And while I wallowed in despair... I-I let slip a good portion of the family fortune... a fortune that my own Pa spent so much of his life to build up! I earned a whole lotta that back and then some, of course, but I've never been able to live down... t-to live down those kinds of mistakes."

"What matters, Mr. Rich, is that you found yer balance in the end." Applejack winked. "Barnyarn Bargains is as big as it's ever been! I'm sure yer Pa would be proud."

"Well, that's awful kind of ya to say, darlin'," Filthy Rich said. He leaned back to brush a hoof through his own mane. "But... the proudest my father's ever been was when he was workin' with yer Pa... and with his Pa and Granny Smith."

Applejack took a deep breath. "And I hope we can keep workin' together like nothin's changed... because Sweet Apple Acres is here to stay."

"And that brings much joy to my heart." Filthy Rich stared at her. "Ponyville's got a good future so long as there are such strong, dependable earth ponies in it."

"Well, I'm only as strong as my family is, Mr. Rich."

"Indeed." Mr. Rich sighed, smiling. "You've got yerself a wonderful future just waitin' for ya, Applejack. Someday... yer gonna meet a loyal stallion who'll treat you proper and then the two of you will make that family even stronger than ever."

Applejack opened her mouth, but had nothing to say. She stared at him for a few seconds, blinking. Finally, she put on a breathy smile. "Sure thang, Mr. Rich!" The young mare nodded. "You bet!"

"I'm gonna tally these apples myself!" Filthy Rich said, yanking the clipboard from a surprised clerk and waving excitedly at the teenager. "A million thanks, darlin'! Barnyard Bargain owes you!"

"Hey..." Applejack shrugged, trotting off and hitching herself back up to the cart. "We're partners, ain't we?"

"Darn tootin'! And you tell Granny Smith that my door is always open if she wants to come on over and chat about old times! All y'all ain't out of friends so long as Ponyville stands on Celestia's earth! Y'hear?!"

"Heheheh... I hear ya, Mr. Rich!" Applejack tightened her muscles, drew the cart, and marched towards the west end of town with a strong smile. "I hear ya..."

The Highest Branch

"Hey there, Applejack!" Golden Harvest's voice rolled over the market stalls.

Applejack glanced over while pulling the wagon. With a belated smile, she waved from a distance.

"'Morning, Applejack!" Cup Cake's voice said from a window of Sugarcube Corner. Applejack looked in time to see the mare smiling at her. Carrot Cake also poked his head out and waved.

"Uhhhh... howdy!"

"Nice work at the farm you did this week!" Cup Cake said.

"Heh... mighty thanks." Applejack brushed her bangs back and continued trotting. "I do try."

"Oh! Applejack!" The Mayor whistled and called from a distance. "Did you get the harvest in on time?"

Applejack had to reply over the heads of other wandering villagers. "Oh! You betcha!"

"Oh! That's good news! Good news indeed! Well..." The Mayor waved before returning to the City Hall building. "Our love to Granny Smith and Big Macintosh!"

"Sure thang!"

"Oh! And to Little Apple Bloom too!"

"Eheh... sure thang, Miss Mayor!" Applejack turned to face the west edge of town.

A pink muzzle beamed upside down in her face. "Hiya!"

"Whoa!" Applejack reared her hooves, nearly colliding with the front of the cart. By the time she was done flailing, a certain fluffy-maned mare was somehow standing upright before her. "How did... where...?"

"I know that you're probaby super duper busy with all that sweaty gritty farmwork, but still, I just wanted to say..." Pinkie Pie smiled pleasantly. "If ever you just want to relax and sip some sudsy sarasparilla or a smoothe sundae... you can always stop by Sugarcube Corner and have a squat!"

"Why... thank ya kindly, Pinkie Pie." Applejack cleared her throat. "But I'm afraid my brother and I have our work cut out for us with the livestock this week."

"Well!" Pinkie giggle-snorted. "If you ever want to sip some sudsy sarasparilla while tending to the hogs, lemme know! I'm pink! I can reason with the piggies so you can get your refreshment time in!"

"Heheh... well alright..."

"Have fun on the farm!" Pinkie Pie waved as Applejack trotted on. "And if you need any help with anything, all you gotta do is whistle! My Pinkie sense will do the rest!"

"I hear ya! And it's mighty appreciated, Pinkie!"

"Anytime!" And the bright mare bounce-bounce-bounced away.

Applejack sighed. She stared down the country road with a soft smile. As the pleasant voices of the townsfolk echoed in her ears... the smile remained firmer and firmer.

At last, Applejack's wagon wheels rattled to a stop.

She paused on the crest of a hill, standing in place.

Her smile remained, although it was a great deal softer and more contemplative now.

From a distance, she could see Big Macintosh fixing the fence to the farm's pig pen. A frail green shape rocked in a chair on the house's front porch. Cows grazed in the distance and the gentle clucks of hens could be heard in the foreground.

Applejack closed her eyes. She waited until a warm wind blew over the landscape, carrying the scent of hay, sawdust, and grass.

When the teenager reopened her eyes, she had to dab them a bit. Then—with renewed vigor—she tugged at the weight of the wagon and continued her stroll downhill.

Granny Smith hummed a gentle tune—nearly putting herself to sleep as she cradled Apple Bloom in her withered hooves.

The infant gazed bright-eyed at the porch, the sky, and finally at a mess of freckles moving her way. She let loose a melodic gurgle.

"Hmmm...? Whaa...?" Granny Smith looked up, her eyelids lifting. She smiled. "Why... ain't you lookin' nice and bright?"

"Mmmmhmmm..." Applejack trotted to a stop, sniffing. "And ain't this place smellin' clean and crisp?"

"Heheheh..." Granny Smith playfully patted Apple Bloom's diapered flank. "Ain't unicorn science, AJ. Besides, she's as regular as yer ol' pappy. Ohhhhh..." She winced slightly. "You dun need to be hearin' that."

Applejack chuckled. "It's alright, Granny." Applejack reached forward. "It's a good thing that you can say things like that."

Granny Smith gently passed Apple Bloom to the young mare. "Mmmm... reckon so." She sighed. "Celestia helps us when she gets to trottin' age."

"S'all good." Applejack leaned against a beam of the porch and hugged Apple Bloom to her fuzzy chest. "I'll have knotted me plenty of lassos by then." She booped Apple Bloom's nose, causing the infant to giggle. "That's right! Gonna hog-tie the dickens out of you!" She blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Land's sakes... not a freckle to be found!"

"Heh..." Granny Smith leaned forward in her rocking chair. "She's got a lot of Orange in her."

"Mmmm... I reckon."

Granny Smith exhaled. She stared at the teenager. "You... you do know how proud I am of you... right?"

Applejack stared through the floor.

"They was too. Both of 'em," Granny quietly said. "It's not pride that kept them from sayin' it—"

"I get it, Granny. We Apples have always been doers and not sayers. But they showed me. They showed Big Mac and me proper." Applejack looked up. "And so have you."

Granny Smith nodded. "Reckon we can't afford to pass up the whole 'sayin' part no more."

Applejack shook her head. "I think we can handle the change." She smiled.

Granny smiled back.

Apple Bloom's giggles broke up the moment.

Granny cleared her throat. "Say... uhm... I hope ya dun mind..." She reached behind her. "But I did a bit of rummagin' about upstairs..."

"Oh no, Granny..." Applejack sighed. The teenager slumped back with Apple Bloom in her grasp. "You didn't go snoopin' around in my room again, didja?"

"Oh hush." Granny lifted a brown stetson. "About this here..."

"Oh... uh..." Applejack fidgeted. "Filthy Rich. He fixed it up all good and proper. He gave it to me at the funeral."

"Well and good that he did." Granny Smith plopped it over Applejack's head. "I think it suits ya just fine, darlin'."

The hat covered the young mare's brow. Blushing, the mare raised the brim with a quirky grin. "Physics seem to tell a different tale, Granny."

"T'ain't what I meant. Sure, it could stand some growin' into, but that's to be expected."

Applejack blinked. "But... but Big Mac...?"

"We both know who it belongs to." Granny Smith took a deep breath. "Only once in a lifetime does the apple make its way back to the branches."

Applejack stared at her. She rocked Apple Bloom gently as she breathed the scent still clinging to the hat. "Would be a shame to let such fruit go sour."

The Promise

On the Southwest side of Sweet Apple Acres...

Atop a quiet hill...

In a tiny clearing surrounded by aged apple trees ripe with fragrant blossoms...

A pair of headstones stood above freshly buried graves.

A teenage mare trotted uphill, approaching the stones. She carried a velvet sling around her shoulder—in which a red-headed infant was suspended, cooing pleasantly in the warm afternoon breeze. She balanced a brown stetson hat on her flank, and when she finally came to a stop before the graves she plopped down on her haunches, cradled Apple Bloom in her grasp, and placed the stetson on the grass in front of her.

Eventually, a pair of orange hooves gently kneaded the brim of the hat as she exhaled. Another breeze, warm and invigorating, and Applejack gently spoke past it.

"Ma...? Pa...?"

Sunlight.

Glinting freckles.

Smiles.

"Y'all got nothin' to worry about, I promise."

Apple Bloom squeaked and gurgled something.

Applejack—misty-eyed--leaned down and nuzzled the little filly.

"Granny Smith is takin' good care of Apple Bloom. Shoot, we all are..."

She looked up, breathing softly.

"But t'ain't all we're lookin' after."

An orange brow furrowed.

"We got the latest harvest done in time. The local townsfolk even came to help. But dun you fret..."

Blonde bangs billowed in the wind.

"Big Macintosh and I? We'll be handlin' the next harvest to come... and the one after that and the one after that."

Grinning, shiny teeth.

"Of course, Granny will be around to guide us along. She's got a lifetime of experience. Several. She steered you right... and she's fixin' to do the same for us. Everythang's gonna go just fine. I promise."

Apple Bloom yawned. Her sleepy eyes fluttered shut as she rested her fuzzy cheek against Applejack's sweat-stained neck.

"Now..."

Applejack's hooves kneaded the edge of the stetson again.

"Dun... dun be thinkin' that we all dun need you now that we've got thangs so together-like..."

A shuddering breath, and the fetlocks almost creased the hat's brim.

"Truth is... yer always with us... in heart and in mind. Only... well..."

Applejack looked up.

She smiled.

Moisture was forming in her emerald eyes, but...

She smiled.

"Now it's a healthy thang. I promise."

She shivered slightly.

"It truly... truly is."

Applejack gulped.

"I want to thank you... the both of you... and... and I want you to know..."

She sniffled as the smile was christened with tears.

"...that you'll always be loved... every second of every day... and we're gonna make y'all proud..."

She finally raised the stetson to her head... and smiled in spite of how large and off-center it was upon her crown.

"...that is the honest truth."

Just Fine

"Fwoooghlle... a-ghuu-ghuu pfffttt-Uhhhhhplejackkk!" Apple Bloom slobbered, batting at Applejack's ponytail like a cat with a string. Her eyes were bright and her tiny toddler hooves were everywhere.

"Guhhh... Apple Bloom!" Applejack hissed, cradling Apple bloom with one forelimb as she used her other three hooves to trot up the southwest hill. The stetson rested crookedly on her head, but she was able to keep it relatively straight with two perked ears. "Quit fussin', will ya?"

Apple Bloom giggled mischievously.

"Just a few seconds of peace! Land's sakes!" Heaving a sigh... Applejack managed a smile just in time to squat down before the two graves. Fresh flowers grew between the stones and the trees overshadowing them were full of bright red fruit. "Howdy Ma... Pa. Whew! It's been one heck of a week!"

The cool shadows of clouds rippled over the hilltop. Birds sang in the distance as an emerald sheen illuminated the lengths of Sweet Apple Acres beneath them.

"Big Mac's almost done hammerin' together the new produce stand for our sellin' spot in the heart of Ponyville. He's worked out a deal with the Cake family to cross-promote Sugarcube Corner. Heh... y'know, for a stallion who doesn't talk as much as he used to, he sure can convince ponies to pitch in and lend a hoof. Must be 'cuz of years of establishin' an honest reputation for himself."

"Frmmghhlushhh-Mackkyyyyy..." Apple Bloom managed. "Heee-heee-heee!"

Applejack rolled her eyes and rocked Apple Bloom slightly in her grasp. "Apple Bloom's doin' fine and dandy. She's a real talker—I swear she's three fourths Orange. T'ain't no big deal. Granny and I are switchin' turns foalsittin'. Oh! That reminds me! Granny says this year's Apple Family Reunion's gonna be held in Fillydelphia. Hope y'all dun mind a slight fudgin' with tradition. It's cuz Uncle Strudle wants to show off his new groves outside of city limits. Heh... he's at it again! Wonder if he'll ever learn to use the right kind of fertilizer."

The branches of the old apple trees above the graves flounced in the breeze. A gentle hush filled the space above the hilltop.

"As for me...?" Applejack sighed through a tired smile. "I'm doin' okay. Havin' some aches and pains in Kicks McGee... but Granny says that's just part of growin' up. She swears left and right that I'll be as large'n'bulky as Big Macintosh someday. Whew! Won't that be a sight!" A slight chuckle. The hat slumped crookedly, so she shook her ears to straighten it once again. "Farmwork ain't bad. Wish I could say the same about my schoolin'." Her muzzle scrunched slightly. "Not to say that I'm doin' bad or nothin'... but... I swear these writing assignments are gettin' out of hoof. Reckon I ain't one to judge how the education system works or whatnot... but do I really need to know about the history of the Lunar Rebellion of Whinnypeg in order to get by in life? Hah! Plus... doesn't help that this Miss Cheery-whoever has been a total tangle-hoof while subbin' for our regular teacher. Guess that's what you get for hirin' young. But she's sweet. You'd like her. I wish her the best."

Apple Bloom gnawed on Applejack's ponytail. The teenager didn't try to stop her this time.

"All in all..."

Applejack tilted the hat back.

"...things are goin' just fine."

A warm smile in a warm breeze.

"The farm is gettin' along just fine. You ask me...? It can only get better from here."

A Tad Bit Loopty

Strong orange hooves crunched through the grass as they trotted up the hill.

Autumn leaves were scattered over the two graves as Applejack came to a stop.

She sat down, straightened her coat, and took a deep breath—

"Hi Ma!" Apple Bloom hop-hop-hopped around her older sister. "Hi Pa!"

"Guh!" Applejack frowned. Her face was twice as beautiful despite having only half as many freckles. "Apple Bloom!"

"What?" The tiny foal spun around like a puppy, grinning from ear to ear. Twin red ponytails swayed in the breeze. "I'm only sayin' howdy!"

"T'ain't the point!" Applejack growled. The stetson rested evenly atop her head, although the brim hung low and gave her emerald eyes a persistent glare. "You got to do it all proper-like!"

Apple Bloom sat down, big eyes blinking above a tiny mouth. "Why?"

"Because this here's supposed to be a peaceful place."

"Why?"

"Because this is where Ma and Pa are buried."

"Why?"

"Because..." Applejack blinked, her tail flicking. "...they're dead?"

Apple Bloom tapped her fuzzy little chin. "What's it matter how well you rest when yer dead?"

"Rnnnngh..." Applejack face-hoofed. "Apple Bloom, we've been over this..."

"Why can't we talk to Ma and Pa back home in the kitchen?" Apple Bloom plopped back on her haunches and made leaf-angels on the hilltop. "I'm hungry! Can we ask Granny to make some flapjacks? Huh?"

"Apple Bloom—"

"Oooh! Fritters! Heeehee—Big Mac drools every time! Have you seen that?" Suddenly, Apple Bloom gasped and hopped up to her feet. "Squirrel!" She galloped off to the side of the hill, imitating Winona. "C'mere, varmint! I'm a guard pony! Heeheehee!"

Applejack rolled her eyes. As Apple Bloom continued flailing around in the background, the older sister smiled at the pair of stones and spoke into the crisp autumn air.

"Well, as y'all can see, Apple Bloom's been a bit of a hooffull. Not a big deal, really—except when it comes to bedtime. Granny says that Big Mac used to be like that at her age. Heh... havin' a hard time believin' it... but I suppose y'all would know."

Leaves drifted overhead in the gray air.

"Bet y'all are wonderin' if I've had any luck fetchin' myself a job since I graduated. Truth is, Ma... Pa... I just dun think I'm cut out for city life. Heck... village life. Every time I try helpin out around Sugarcube Corner for some bits, I end up messin' thangs up. I just... can't stop myself from wantin' to take over and tell other ponies how to do thangs. Guess I'm so plum used to takin' control that I can't settle for bein' some business' lil' lackey. Which is all good and fine. We've been earnin' a bunch of profit with the last few harvests and cider seasons. The way the family fortune's goin'... we can easily last through another year or two on what we've built up."

Applejack tilted her hat back slightly. There was a twinkle to her emerald eyes that punctuated the serious expression on her fuzzy face.

"Guess what I'm tryin' to say is... this here farm is enough to sustain me. I... I don't know if that's precisely what y'all wanted... but it suits me just fine. Ain't no place on Celestia's green earth where I feel more at home than... home."

Apple Bloom galloped gay circles around the clearing, "barking" and giggling up a storm.

Applejack couldn't help but smirk.

"It might seem a tad bit loopty... but the family's doin' more than just floatin'. We're glidin'. A promise is a promise... and I'm gonna make this place the best dang apple farm in all of Equestria... even if it takes all my life."

A wink.

"Y'all can bet on that..."

Blossoms

"Just like that, Apple Bloom... all nice and gentle-like..."

Tiny yellow hooves placed a bouquet of orange blossoms against a gray stone with a mare's name.

"Like so?" the little filly's voice squeaked. A red bow flounced above a scarlet mane.

"Eeyup." Applejack patted the little sister's shoulder. "That's perfect."

"They smell nice."

"Roseluck grew them in her own garden." Applejack adjusted the stetson until it sat squarely on her blonde head. "According to her, they smell finer than any of the orchards that grow outside of Manehattan."

"That's nice." Apple Bloom sat back on the hilltop, blinking nervously. "You think she's tellin' the truth?"

Applejack guffawed. She patted Apple Bloom again. "Reckon so. But yer an Apple, ain't ya?" She raised an eyebrow. "You should be able to tell!"

Apple Bloom frowned. "Feels like I just can't read other ponies half the time."

"You used to insist on knowin' everything about everypony..." Applejack leaned down and lovingly nuzzled the filly through her mane. "You was like a psychic crystal ball whenever Granny or I carried ya into town!"

"Applejaaaaaaaaack..." Apple Bloom frowned and shoved the mare's face away. "I ain't a baby no more!"

"Heheheh... not from where I'm standin'."

"Shhhh! Ma and Pa..."

"Oh now you wanna be all respectful-like!"

"Yeah? So?" Apple Bloom pouted. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothin', sugarcube." Applejack smiled. "You just be you."

"Just be me..." Apple Bloom took a deep breath, staring at the graves. "I... I can just talk to them?"

"Mmmmhmmm." Applejack nodded.

"Like... what do I say?" Apple Bloom's voice took on a somber breath. "What will it even matter?"

Applejack's eyes narrowed. "However it matters to you," she said warmly. "Be honest."

"Be honest..." Apple Bloom nodded. A nervous gulp, and she stared at the dull stones once again. "Be honest... okay." A crooked smile graced her muzzle. "Uhhhh... Hey Ma! Hey Pa!" She waved. "It's yer lil' Apple Bloom! Only... uh... reckon I ain't so little no more..."

Applejack smiled and rested a hoof on Apple Bloom's shoulder. "There ya go... yer doin' fine..."

"I... uh... I made a friend at school this week!" Apple Bloom's ears twitched. She smiled nervously. "Her name's Twist. And she's super funny and she wears thick glasses and has this silly lisp."

"Y'all hear that?" Applejack beamed at the two graves. "Our little Apple Bloom is makin' her way through the social circles!"

"But... uhm... Twist's pappa ain't got red curls like she does," Apple Bloom's muzzle scrunched. "I'm startin' to think that Twist's momma has been pluckin' seeds from the milk stallion."

"Snkkkkt—Hah hah hah hah!" Applejack exploded into laughter.

"What?!" Apple Bloom spun around, pouting. "You told me to be honest!"

"Whew-weee! Apple Bloom, wait until I tell Granny 'bout that! Just where did she leave her favorite belt?!"

"What?! No! Don't tell Granny, AJ!"

"Hahahaha—"

"Ajaaaaaaaaaaaay—!"

Digestion

Sunset.

Amber shadows stretched over the southwest hilltop.

Grass and leaves crunched as a lone set of hooves scaled the incline.

Applejack arrived alone... trotting to a stop before the graves.

She stood there in silence, her blonde tail flicking in a summer breeze.

"... ... ..."

At last, she removed her hat and sighed into the hay-scented air.

"... ... ...rumor's spreadin' that... that this year's Summer Sun Celebration will be held in Ponyville. Can you imagine that? A lil' no-name town like ours. Wish you two had lived to see it."

Silence.

"And... uhm... we've got ponies movin' in from Cloudsdale. A brand new weather team. Guess that's a double-whammy, ya reckon? Suddenly, Ponyville's becomin' a real place on the map. And just to think—without Granny and Filthy's dad—this place would never have come into being..."

Wind.

Rustling leaves.

"I... I ain't got much else to say, really. In truth... I-I'm not sure why I even bothered comin' up here again so soon. Just that..."

She shifted on her haunches.

"... ... ...I feel like I should be tellin' you more... givin' y'all more than I have to answer to. I... I-I just can't quite put my hoof on it. I mean... everythang's fine. Honest! The farm's doin' well these last few harvests. Big Mac's helpin' out around the local farms. Granny's got her Red Saddle Society goin' swimmingly. Heh-Heh! It's mighty cute, in a way."

Her smile faded.

Green eyes met the ground.

"I... I dunno what it is. But... but it's been gettin' harder and harder to fall asleep lately. It's almost as if... as if..."

She clenched her teeth... then relaxed.

A sigh.

"Nothin'. Just... just somethin' I ain't digestin' right, I suppose..."

She put on a calm smile and plopped her hat back on her head.

"That's what I get for havin' Apple Bloom season the oats alfredo. Heheh. But dun y'all worry none. She'll be bakin' fritters and stirrin' grits well enough to support herself. Assumin'... of course... she ever decides to go out on her own. She does have an awful lot of Orange in her after all. But... uh..."

She breathed in deeply.

"But me? I ain't goin' nowhere. So..."

Ears twitched. A smile... or at least half of one.

"...y'all dun have to worry none. The farm's safe with me. It truly is. A promise is a promise."

Silence.

No more words were said... although the shadows against the granite hungered for them.

With a flick of her tail...

...Applejack turned around and trotted back downhill towards the farm.

She was inside before the last light of day went out.

A Blonde Goddess Walks Into a Bakery...

On a sunny day...

...during a sunny month...

The bell above the door to Sugarcube Corner rang briskly.

"Hmmm-hmmm-hmmm..." Pinkie Pie looked up from where she was mopping the floor behind the front counter. "Applejaaaaaaaaack!" She grinned from ear to ear, twirled the mop, and placed it against the wall beside her. "The apple of my eye! Howdy-howdy-howdy! How are you doin', pardnerrrrr?"

"Heh heh heh..." Applejack trotted happily towards the counter, sporting two bulging saddlebags. "Just came back from the market."

"Did ya sell a bunch of apples?" Pinkie Pie winked. "Huh? Huh? Huh?"

"Did some tradin', if you must know," Applejack said, giving her saddlebags a swat with her tail. "Exchanged some of our best fruit for some watermelons. This time of year, the pigs out back won't eat anythang else. Whew! That's what we get for buyin' livestock from them Fillyda breeders!"

"Wouldn't touch that province with a ten foot gator!" Pinkie Pie winked. "Trust me! I'm an expert!"

"Heheh... I hear ya, Pinkie."

"What can I do ya for?" Pinkie Pie bounced happily on her tippy-hooves. "Need some bakin' supplies for the Big Hoedown this weekend?"

"Well, I'm thinkin' about it," Applejack said, rubbing her chin in thought. She squinted at the bags of ingredients behind the counter. "I've been so busy buckin' apples for the fruit trade these last few days. All the shelves at the local market are probably empty on account of the local ponyfolk bakin' their own surprises for the meet-up. Not that it matters—ain't no ingredients in all of Equestria that beat what you and the Cakes have to offer."

"Hee-hee-hee!" Pinkie Pie grinned rosily. "Well, take a gander and I'll be happy to hoof it over to you! Whoops!" She momentarily motioned Applejack to trot aside. "Between happy, paying customers, of course!"

"Pardon." Applejack trotted aside, tipping her hat at a dark-coated mare shuffling up to the counter. "Didn't see you there."

"It's alright," the mare said, depositing a few bits onto the counter top. "Thank you so very much for the hospitality. Those doughnuts were absolutely delicious."

"I know, right!" Pinkie Pie swept up the bits and struck a proud pose. "Here in Sugarcube Corner, we sprinkle our pastries with peppermint! And love! But mostly peppermint! Heehee!"

"I'll be sure to put in a good review to this place once I'm back in Canterlot," the mare said with a nod.

"Okie dokie lokie!"

Applejack smiled at the mare. "You passin' through, ma'am?"

The stranger giggled slightly. "Well, at first I thought I was. Regular business trip. But everypony in this town is just so... so nice." She looked at Applejack. "In more ways than one." She brushed her silky bangs back. "What's this I hear about a dance?"

"Oh, you mean the Hoe-down?" Applejack shrugged. "It ain't much to fuss about—"

"Are you kidding, AJ?!?" Pinkie Pie gasped. She smiled at the patron. "It's only the fifteenth biggest annual dance we have in town!"

"Fifteenth?" The mare giggled again. "Wow, you Ponyvilleans must have a lot of dances!"

"This weekend it's being held at the Harvest Family's Farm!" Pinkie Pie said. "There'll be square dancin' and fruit bobbin' and bonfires and marshmallows and all the local fresh-baked-treats you could ever earn a cavity from!"

"Pinkie..." Applejack rolled her eyes, then smiled calmly at the visitor. "It's Ponyville Tradition. Every year when the Harvest Family finishes their pear buckin', they throw a good ol' hootenanny for the nearby farm families to come and mill about and enjoy life. I'm talkin' dozens of ponies sweatin' and laughin' their cutie marks off in a dusty ol' barn. Heheheh..." Applejack tilted her hat back a bit. "It's... n-not exactly a high-class party by Canterlot standards—"

"Oh, I don't mind one bit!" the stranger exclaimed. "It sounds delightful!" Her ears folded back as she spoke in a hushed tone. "I mean, is it... is it off-limits to out-of-towners?"

"Not at all!" Applejack stood tall. "Shucks, if you wanna come hang out, yer more than welcome! The Harvest Family's barn door is open to everyone! Locals and visitors alike!"

"Only entrance fee is a baked good to bring for the snack table!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Buttttttt ya dun have to bring anythang if ya dun have the time to put it together in a kitchen." Applejack winked. "The Harvest family would understand."

"Oh, that's great. I-I'm sure I can buy something from the local market just to show my appreciation," the mare said. "Maybe some popcorn or drinking cups... just to be polite."

"Heheheh..." Applejack waved a hoof. "Seriously, Missy. Ain't no fuss. Just bring yerself. That's all the treat we Ponyvilleans need."

"It's Shadow. Silver Shadow. And thank you—I think I will." Silver Shadow looked down... then up... then down again. "Will... uh... will you be there, Ms...?"

"Applejack. And you betcha!"

"Applejack. Wonderful." Silver Shadow nodded. Then—with a rosy smile—she leaned forward and murmured in a warm breath. "I really... really hope I will be seeing you there."

Applejack blinked.

Bearing the same glowing smile, Silver Shadow backtrotted gracefully out of the eatery, silky tail swishing. "So long, Applejack. Hope you have a lovely afternoon."

"Er... same to you, sugarcube..."

A happy hum escaped Silver Shadow's lips... and she was gone.

Applejack stood in place, squinting. "...now what in the Hay was that about?"

Pinkie Pie giggled.

Applejack looked at her. "What?"

Pinkie Pie giggled some more. She slapped the countertop for good measure.

"What?!" Applejack frowned. "Pinkie, will ya stop laughin'! Yer soundin' like a jackass!"

"Oh AJ... AJ AJ AJ..." Pinkie Pie gave her a teary-eyed smile.

Applejack stared blankly.

Pinkie Pie blinked, her laughter dissipating instantly. "You mean you really don't know?!"

"Don't know what?"

"She was totally super-duper into you, girrrrrrrrrl!"

"... ... ...who was?"

"Silver Shadow! Our guest! That sexy pony lady who just up and went sexily!"

"... ... ... ... ... ...what?"

"Applejaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Don't be a Dense Miss-Dense-a-lot! She was totally diggin' you!"

"Like..." Applejack's muzzle scrunched. "...how a farm mare digs for plantin' apple trees?"

"No, silly!" Pinkie giggle-snorted. "Like a mare wants to toss another mare into a barn and go rolling around in the hay!"

Applejack's muzzle hung agape. She looked at Pinkie... then at the door... then at Pinkie again. She smiled in disbelief. "Nawwwwwwwwww..."

"Heehee! Yuh huh!"

"Nawwwwwwwwwwww—"

"Yuh huh! Yuh huh!" Pinkie Pie leaned forward against the counter. "Are you telling me that you've never had another mare hit on you?"

"Why? Should I have?"

"It's perfectly natural, Applejack! Happens to Maud all the time when we visit the Annual Rock Candy Convention in San Franciscolt!"

"This ain't San Franciscolt."

"Stillllll! Doesn't stop seventy-five percent of the girly-girl Equestrian populace from wanting to get their girly-girl on with other girly-girls!"

"Pffft... I haven't noticed."

"That's because you're too busy bucking apples instead of other soft, ripe things! Heehee!"

"P-Pinkie Pie!" Applejack blushed red as a beet. She looked around, sweating. "Heavens-to-Betsy!"

"Heehee! I swear, AJ! You're too adorable sometimes!"

"I just dun get it!"

"How can you not get it?!"

"I mean... shoot..." Applejack shrugged. "Why would any self-respectin' mare be into me?"

"Because you're absolutely ravishing, darling."

Applejack jolted in place. She turned to look towards the far end of the eatery. "Beg yer pardon?"

A levitating fashion magazine folded shut, revealing a dainty unicorn sipping daintily from a dainty teacup. She looked over from her table with a placid smile. "I mean every word, for it is the absolute truth." Blue eyes glittered in the sunlight coming through the windows. "You are a veritable blonde goddess in a humble farming frame, dear. Every mare around town can plainly see it. Stallion too—which is a remarkable thing. I'm rather surprised a handsome gent hasn't fetched you by now."

Applejack squinted. "And you are...?"

The unicorn fluffed her purple mane. "Rarity the Unicorn. I'm the sole owner of the Carousel Boutique on the east end of town."

"... ... ...never heard of it."

"Mmmm. Yes. Well." A tiny blush crossed the mare's pale cheeks as she cleared her throat. "It... did open just a few weeks ago. Nevertheless..." She stood up, levitating a few bits that she carried with her over to the front counter. "...back to the discussion at hoof. I consider myself an expert on grace and beauty. And you carry that in spades, darling. Well... at least half of it."

"Jee." Applejack's eyebrows were straight. "Thanks."

Pinkie Pie giggled.

"I didn't mean that as a slight, of course," Rarity declared, smiling bashfully. "I simply wished to imply that—with a little bit of sprucing up and a fine dress to compliment your exquisitely natural features—you would absolutely murder at a ball, Miss Applejack. No doubt about it! You should be quite proud of what you've inherited! Most of us would kill to have such qualities!"

Applejack's eyes darted to Pinkie... then back to Rarity. "You ain't... hittin' on me as well, are ya?"

Rarity laughed airily. "Oh no no no no no... heavens no." She rested a gentle hoof over her own chest. "One of these days, I do whole-heartedly intend to be whisked off my hooves by a Prince Charming... not so much a Princess. Although... hmmm-hmmm... I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be flattered."

"Uh huh..."

"Ah." Rarity nodded. "Well, I can see you're not one to take compliments very easily, Miss Applejack. But never you mind." She stood tall, staring firmly at the farm mare. "Pay a visit to my Boutique sometime. I will make you a dress that will turn all the heads at any... 'hootenanny', presuming they haven't spun off their necks already. I mean it! It will be free of charge! Just for you!"

"Well... uh... thanks." Applejack tilted her hat back. "That's mighty generous of you."

"Mmmmm... yes. It is, isn't it?" Rarity's eyelashes fluttered. She turned briskly towards Pinkie Pie. "Thanks yet again for the tea and crumpets, Pinkie Pie. They were most divine."

"You're more than welcome, Rarity!"

"I've got business to attend to!" Rarity trotted off with a happy wave. "Ta-taaaaaaaa!" she pronounced musically.

The bell above the door rang and all was still again.

"Yeesh..." Applejack brushed her bangs back and looked across the empty eatery. "Is it just me... or did the town turn all fru-fruey between the last two apple harvests?"

"Heeheehee!" Pinkie Pie beamed. "Things are changing around here, Applejack!"

"Yeah. I can see that."

"Can you?" Pinkie stuck a tongue out. "Can you really?"

Applejack frowned. "I ain't got time for any sort of Special Somepony nonsense."

"Uh huh."

"Besides. I'm gettin' on just fine at the farm with the Apple Family." Applejack shrugged. "Just... dun see the need for romancin' anyone. Definitely not with any mares."

"Uh huhhhhhhhhhh."

"Dun you 'uh huh' me!" Applejack gnashed her teeth. "Someday I'll settle down with a stallion! Just you see! It happened with my Momma and it happened with Granny! That's just the way the apple falls, ya reckon?"

"Mmmmm... I reckon." Pinkie Pie picked up the mop and began cleaning the floor again. "Just lemme know when you're ready, Applejack."

"Why you rushin' me all of a sudden?"

Pinkie stuck her tongue out. "I mean for the baking ingredients, sillyyyyyy!" A giggle-snort. "Are you going to make ready for the Harvest Family Hoedown or aren't ya?"

Applejack blushed. "Oh."

"Heeheehee..." Pinkie Pie mopped her way deep into the kitchen. "Bumping into gates and knocking over fencessssss. Who is? You is! Applejackkkk...!"

Applejack stood alone. Fidgeting. Wordless.

Home is Where One Heart Is

Applejack left Sugarcube Corner with a heavier saddlebag than when she trotted in. The extra weight was of no concern to her.

Instead, the mare found her gaze wandering around during her slow, lonesome trot home.

But she wasn't staring at the amber bands of the setting sun. She wasn't staring at the produce in the back of wagons being packed up and sent home to their respective farms before another day of trading in the marketplace. She wasn't looking at the storefronts as they closed one by one or the various farming equipment resting neatly behind glass displays.

Applejack found herself glancing at ponies. Or—more in particular—groups of ponies.

Groups of two.

Cup Cake and Carrot Cake were returning to Sugarcube Corner. They didn't even notice Applejack as they passed her; they were too busy nuzzling each other and whispering (or giggling) sweet nothings.

In the crossroads that led downtown, two mares squatted on a bench. They stared deeply into each other's eyes. Aside from a flicking ear or two, the pair were completely unmoving... frozen by their smiles.

Applejack passed by a local restaurant. Several ponies were eating outside. Among them was a couple—a mare and a stallion—and Applejack's ears tickled with the sound of the mare laughing as the stallion leaned in to nuzzle and tease her. They continued laughing into their conversation as the corner lamps of the establishment were lit up one by one.

The giggles of foals lit the air. Applejack looked towards the opposite side of the street to see a brother and sister chasing each other in circles. A mother and father trotted side by side with their bags full of wares. The parents gazed lovingly at their children, leaning gently against one another as they slowly and casually made their way to the front stoop of their apartment.

Applejack blinked. Her tail flicked, and soon the shadows dissipated as she exited town limits and ascended the crest of a hill. There, she was exposed to the last rays of the setting sun... and yet it didn't feel nearly as warm or toasty as the shadowed sights she had left behind.

The farm mare breathed... and they were warm breaths. Gentle breaths. Contented breaths. If anything was different—it was the scrunched look on her muzzle... the same one she beheld before Pinkie in Sugarcube Corner a mere hour ago. All of the shapes and textures of the world were still the same along her trek home... but they somehow felt different.

It was all so very confusing. Applejack hoped that trotting through the front gate of her farm and being surrounded by Sweet Apple Acres would eliminate the sense of perplexion entirely.

It didn't.

Kitchenings

Creaaaaaaaaak...

...thap!

The kitchen door to the farm slapped shut. Applejack trotted heavily into the kitchen, lugging her saddlebag full of things.

"Granny!" she called through the house. "I'm home!"

"Oh howdy there, Applejack!" a voice yodeled from the nearest room. "Home awfully late, ain'tcha?"

"Mighty sorry about that!" Applejack unhitched her saddlebag, breathed with relief, and began unloading baking supplies onto the kitchen counter. "I had to make a stop by Sugarcube Corner for baking supplies!"

"Ehh?" Granny Smith hobbled into the kitchen, squinting. "What for, now? Oh ponyfeathers..." She grimaced hard. "Did I forget Apple Bloom's birthday again?"

"Nothin' of the sort, Granny," Applejack said, opening the pantry and sliding bags of sugar into their respective places. "It's for the Annual Hoedown. I'm plannin' on bakin' some extra fritters to carry over."

"Ohhhhhhh... ehhh... hrmmm..." Granny Smith rubber her wrinkled chin. "Whose place exactly? The Whistlers?"

"No."

"The Proudhoofs?"

"No."

"The Smokey Vittles?"

"No—it's the Harvest family, Granny."

"Ah! Of course! Ol' Blue is havin' a barn dance again, eh?"

"Close. Golden Harvest and her kin."

Granny frowned. "Well, I was close, wasn't I?"

Applejack chuckled good-naturedly. "That you were, Granny. That you were."

Granny strolled over to examine the materials Applejack was setting in place. "Well, I think it's mighty-fine that you're bringin' with you some good neighborly spirit... what with a samplin' of the Apple Family's finest and all."

"Figured since we're the oldest ponyfolk to stake a claim on the land, then we gotsta show up with the finest bounty to these shindigs." Applejack tilted her hat back. "Ya reckon that's bein' a showoff or somethin'?"

"And so what if it is? Huh? Yer an Apple! So be an Apple!"

"Heheheheh..."

"When is it, exactly?"

"This weekend," Applejack explained. "Everypony in town is showin' up. Yer welcome to be there too, Granny."

"Ohhhhhhhh AJ..." Granny Smith hobbled towards the opposite end of the room, sighing. "I gotta save my strength for Apple Family get-togethers. I'm afraid I'm just not cut out for cuttin' a rug like I used to be."

"Awwwwww Granny! Dun say that! I'm sure they'd love to have you!"

"Harvest Family's barn, ya say?"

"That's right."

"... ... ...they grow carrots and pears, don't they?"

"Errr.... yup."

"Bah!" Granny waved a hoof. "Then I'll definitely pass!"

"Heheh... fair enough. Guess... uh..." Applejack swallowed, raising her head slightly in Granny's direction. "...guess I'll be goin' alone then."

A naked second later: "No you won't."

Applejack's ears twitched. She gulped. "I w-won't?"

"No!" Granny leaned her head back into the kitchen and winked. "You'll be bringin' Big Mac with ya, right?"

Applejack exhaled sharply. Seconds later, she bore an awkward, freckled smile. "Hah! Right! Big Mac!" Another exhale. "How could I be so silly...?"

"Dun ask me! Yer silly everyday!" Granny left the room. "Whelp, I'm off to lose me some weight! Dun ask how! Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh!"

"Right... er... talk to you later, Granny..."

Applejack stood alone in the kitchen.

Eventually, after a limp minute or to, she began the long and arduous task of preparing dinner for four.

Family Mare

"Eat yer collard greens, Apple Bloom," Applejack said, picking at her plate with a fork held in the crook of her hoof. "You'll like 'em less cold. Trust me."

"Oh let her take her time, Applejack," Granny Smith said, sitting perpendicular to the mare at the family table. "Listenin' to her prattle on about school today is about the most interestin' thang I've heard all evening!"

"Eeeyup," Big Mac said, then smirked, then continued munching on his oats.

"Hrmmmf..." Applejack frowned. "I spend close to an hour fixin' supper for everyone... and y'all repay me by peckin' at the vittles like lazy birds?"

"Then call me a peacock!" Apple Bloom barked, then winked at Granny. "Right, Granny?"

"Hyeh-hyeh-hyeh! Regular ol' turkey buzzard! Hyeh-hyeh!"

Applejack sighed, rolled her eyes, and smirked. "Very well, Apple Bloom." She bit a muzzle-ful of greens, swallowed, and waved with her fork. "Get it out of yer system..."

"So—after makin' Diamond Tiara look dumb in class by answerin' that history question right, I went to recess thinkin' nothin' of it, y'know? After all..." Apple Bloom tilted her fuzzy chin up with a haughty expression. "I'm an Apple! And Apples aren't keen on makin' thangs personal!"

"Eenope," Big Mac said.

"Unless—of course—some idiots really deserve it."

"Eeyup!"

"Anyways..." Apple Bloom wiggled excitedly in her seat, her yellow brow furrowed. "There I was—mindin' my own business... chattin' it up with Twist... when all of a sudden Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon show up and start layin' on me with mean words... brow-beatin' me and double-teamin' me, y'know?"

"Didja punch their teeth out?" Granny asked, delivering a feeble right hook to the lantern-lit air.

"Granny!" Applejack gnashed her teeth.

"Oh come on, AJ!" Granny smirked. "A lil playground roughousin' never hurt anyone terribly bad in my day!"

"Granny, in your day there weren't no playgrounds!"

"Dang skippy!" Granny nodded firmly. "For manure and giggles, we just wrestled Timberwolves until we was tired and then we slept all night in the muddd!" She winked across the table. "Ain't that right, Big Mac?"

"Eeey—er... nope...?"

Sighing, Applejack glared across the table at Apple Bloom. "Please tell me I ain't gonna be asked to appear for no emergency family-teacher conference."

"I didn't hurt nopony!" Apple Bloom drew a hoof across her chest. "Honest!"

Applejack breathed with relief, returning to her plate. "Well, alright then."

"Snips showed up out of nowhere and shoved Diamond Tiara into a puddle."

Applejack did a double-take, dropping her fork. "Who did what, now?"

"Er... Snips!" Apple Bloom blinked. "Y'know... the stumpy little unicorn from the Ponyville Apartments? Straight Edge's son."

"Is he the funny soundin' one?"

"No, that's Snails."

"Oh... uhhh—"

Granny Smith leaned over her plate with a mischievous sneer. "Did he get that brat's mane all dirty?"

"Grannnnnny..." Applejack hummed.

Big Macintosh chuckled.

"Nuh huh." Apple Bloom took a bite of her food, swallowed, and spoke casually. "Actually... Diamond Tiara took the hit quite well. But the moment she tried snapping at Snips—Snips suddenly shouted louder than her. He stood in front of me and kept telling her to back off and that she was a bully and blah blah blah..."

"Shucks..." Applejack blinked. "I had no idea the schoolyard could get so... dramatic-like."

"Oh, Cheerilee put a stop to it pretty quick," Apple Bloom explained. "She placed both Snips and Diamond Tiara in after-school detention. Heheh... ya should have seen the look on Silver Spoon's face."

"Huh..." Applejack leaned back. "Well, good on Miss Cheerilee, then..."

"But... it all happened so quickly! And out of nowhere too." Apple Bloom blew a tuft of scarlet bangs out from before her forehead and picked at her food. "I dunno what grosses me out the most. The fact that Diamond Tiara would stoop so low... or that Snips might actually have a crush on me."

"Hmmm?" Applejack looked up. "Beg yer pardon?"

"Eh... it's not the first time Snips has tried to come to my rescue," Apple Bloom remarked. "A few days ago he thought I was falling out of a tree and he kept hopping around beneath this branch—telling me that it was okay to land on him. 'He could take the fall.' Pffft... idiot..."

Applejack glanced at her, at the ceiling, then at her little sister yet again. "Sooooo... this fella's smitten with you?"

"Meh. I guess. Twist seems to think so." Apple Bloom shivered slightly. "Wish it was the first and only time."

Applejack looked at Big Mac. "You..." Her ears twitched. She glanced at Apple Bloom once more, squinting harder. "You have colts your age that like you?"

"Looks like it."

"How do you know?"

Big Mac froze in mid-munch.

Apple Bloom blinked.

Applejack kept staring at her.

"What... I mean..." Apple Bloom shrugged. "It happens... doesn't it? I mean... colts will be colts..."

"But... but yer so young..." Applejack was positively grimacing. "It's elementary school, for Celestia's sake..."

"Yeah? So?" Apple Bloom munched on some more greens. "Mrmmmff... what's the big deal?"

Applejack opened her muzzle to speak again—

"Dun mind yer big sister, Apple Bloom," Granny Smith slurred. "She's never been one to pay much mind to all that nonsense."

"Heh... well..." Applejack shrugged. "It's simply that it never had any reason to come up when I was Apple Bloom's age."

"Oh, you were flirted with, alright," Granny Smith said.

Applejack threw her a double-take. "Beg yer pardon?"

"All throughout grade school!" Granny chuckled. "Why—dozens of colts was always hittin' on poor AJ! Shovin' flowers in her face. Tryin' to woo her with crazy schoolyard shenanigans..."

Applejack blinked. Hard. "They was...?"

"Oh, fillies too! Why... she was always the belle of the ball wherever she went!" Granny winked. "I remember many a muzzle blushin' mighty fierce when she showed up for the first day of class! Reckon I was scared-to-the-dickens of what company she might run into at Summer Camp. That's why I said 'yes' when she wanted to go spend time with the Oranges in Manehattan! Figured there her Aunt and Uncle would at least play chaperone and she would be at peace! Not that she ever cared."

"Uhhhhhhm..." Applejack blinked.

"Besides..." Granny Smith munched on the last piece of her dinner then continued, "She never really cared much for spendin' time with classmates. Heck... the only ponies AJ ever hung out with were visitin' cousins and second cousins! Hah! She and Braeburn were practically inseparable that one summer he came to stay! And then there's Red Orchard and Sweet Jasmine... Applejack's always been the favorite at every reunion."

"Eeeyup."

"Eheh... well... you know me..." Applejack raised a fork to her muzzle and smiled nervously. "...always the family mare."

"Hyeh-hyeh! That's for sure!"

"Heehee!"

"Eeyup!"

"Now, Apple Bloom... tell us more about this handsome 'Snips' feller..."

"Ewwwwwwwwwwww, Grannnyyyyyyyyy. Do I have to?"

"Of course! I wanna get a head start on knowin' my future grandson-in-law!"

"Ew ew ew ew ew!"

"Heh heh heh heh..."

As the rest of the family chattered and chuckled, Applejack ate in silence... her green eyes softly locked on the tabletop between them.

Runs In the Family

Applejack stood up on her hind legs before the sink...

Washing dishes.

Through the wooden walls, she heard the rattle of plumbing installed into the house a decade ago. Big Macintosh was likely upstairs, taking a bath before retiring for bed. He always got the heaviest of sleep out of the four Apples—not that Applejack was one to complain. In everypony's opinion, he always did the heaviest and most grueling of physical labor.

In the adjacent room, Granny Smith sat with Apple Bloom before a gently crackling fireplace. Applejack could hear a yawn or two between them as Granny continued sharing age-old stories that coincided with countless old photographs that had long been engrained into Applejack's mind.

"And this here is Copper Galoshes. I-I never did get the meanin' of his name. No matter. He was always tryin' to help me when trottin' over deep puddles. Heheh... the oldest gentlecolt trick in the book. I humored him only because I knew Pappy was havin' us all move out into the Country Soon. And this photograph? It looks so shiny 'cuz it was taken by one of them fancy cameras in Canterlot. The whole family stayed there for a spell—before we got Princess Celestia's blessing to move out and settle in what eventually became Ponyville. See those two strapping young bucks?"

"What... the deer?"

"Dang skippy! Visitin' dignitaries from Whitetail Woods! Heheh! Both took a fancy to me. Got themselves lockin' horns and other such macho nonsense up until the day before we left."

"Wow... Granny..." A squeaky, foalish yawn. "...you was quite the eye-catcher, weren't ya?"

"Runs in the family, y'know. Especially when we're young. Freckles get us extra mileage into young adulthood... heheheh—at least that's what the neighbors used to tell me. 'Course... as the years went on... the other horseshoe eventually fell. I'm talkin' about age-old Apple Family frailties such as heavy wrinkles, rosacea, and Bent Plot Disease. I've certainly scored myself at least two of those... I-I think. But—heh—when I was young, I was the belle of the ball! Just like Applejack! And just like you too—I bet—why with that crimson mane of yers all bright and flashy and... and... eh... eh-hehhh? Oh... hyeh-hyeh... of course..."

Granny could be heard clearing her throat. Her voice became hoarse as she whispered towards the kitchen.

"AJ! AJ, darlin'..."

"... ... ...?" Applejack turned from the sink. She placed the latest dish up, wiped her fetlocks on a dish towel, and trotted quietly into the living room.

When she approached, she found Apple Bloom draped against Granny Smith's side on the couch. Fast asleep.

"Looks like yer fine cooking met its mark." Granny Smith gave a wrinkled wink. She wrinked. "Perculatin' some nice dreams from her tummy. Heh..."

"It's alright, Granny," Applejack said in a hushed tone, leaning in. Granny helped drape Apple Bloom's slumbering figure over the mare's backside. "I'll take her upstairs to bed."

"What would I ever do without ya, AJ?"

"But seriously, though..." Applejack stood up, carrying Apple Bloom while she gave Granny a wry smirk. "Did ya really have to fill her lil' sweet head with all that silly romantic notion? She's just a filly..."

"Ohhhhhhhhh AJ..." Granny Smith flipped through the photo album with a coy grin. "You ain't too young for love."

"Hmmm... reckon not." Applejack fidgeted momentarily in place. "...or... or t-too old either... ya think?"

"Pffft. Ponyfeathers to that!"

Applejack blinked.

"I just dun ever see myself bein' comfortable with a stallion in my life," Granny said. "Got too much on my mind. Too many responsibilities. But still..." Her eyes lit up with warmth. "It's awful sweet of you to suggest, darlin'."

"Yes, well..." Applejack cleared her throat as she slowly began to trot away with Apple Bloom. Her smile dissipated beyond the light of the fireplace "...keep an open mind, Granny. You never know. You just might meet Prince Charmin' yet."

"If I somehow do, he'll have to be an expert on good fiber!"

Applejack ascended the stairs swiftly.

The Hush

Applejack tucked Apple Bloom's little tiny hooves under the little tiny blanket of her little tiny bed. She made an extraordinary albeit gentle fuss of tucking the edges of the duvet around her little sister. Then—when all was said and done—she leaned in and nuzzled the filly closely, kissing the nape of her neck.

"I love you, sugarcube."

Applejack was an honest pony.

"Mmmmmmmm..." Apple Bloom stirred ever so slightly, wriggling deeper into the bedfolds with a subtle smile across her slumbering muzzle. "...sail the cats down tree trunk space... zzzzzzz..."

Applejack blinked. "... ... ...alrighty, then."

She backtrotted out of the room, paused besides the light-switch, then gave the tiny bed a final smile. Several quiet seconds later, she exhaled and flipped the light off.

Applejack shut the door quietly.

She stood alone on the second floor. A narrow hall stretched in both directions, lined with photographs and portraits of faces she could no longer make out in the darkness. Through the floorboards leading up to Big Mac's room, she could hear the distinct bass roar of a large stallion snoring. She lingered by the doorframe, noticing that the entrance was slightly ajar. Across the way, a dim flicker of candlelight peeked out of Granny Smith's room. Soon it too vanished, swallowed up by shadow.

And Applejack was serenaded by her own breaths, and most of them off-key.

One lazy hoof after another, she began the long and sluggish trot to her own bedroom.

A red ribbon lay loose on a vanity beside a candlestick holder.

A tiny dancing flame reflected off the brass frame of a black-and-white photograph of Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack sat on a stool, facing a mirror that had lost a third of its luster from years of being passed down by multiple generations. Countless ponies had stared at themselves in the same glass, and most of them long gone.

Now Applejack gazed at herself. Slowly brushing her long golden strands straight. Fifty strokes... sixty five... seventy...

The motions were long, concentrated, and graceful. They all went in the same direction.

Applejack sat dead still in the heart of her room.

She paused for a moment. Her ears tilted back. She listened to the dull hush of her home. Everypony was asleep but her. A thickness settled in the air, growing more and more compact by the surmounting shadows.

The candle was dying. Applejack made sure she was done before it went out entirely.

Slowly...

Sluggishly...

Applejack slithered into bed.

She pulled a blanket over herself.

It wasn't warm enough, and she shivered.

So she pulled the next blanket. Then the duvet.

Still, her teeth rattled. Or perhaps she was just clenching them for the sake of clenching them.

Nevertheless... her muscles weren't the least bit satiated...

...until she dragged a spare pillow to her chest and hugged it tight... tighter.

Her eyes gazed out the window... neither tired nor sleepy. Applejack's mind wandered, and her eyes danced lonesomely amidst the stars to match it. Searching... scouring... finding nothing—much less an answer to what she was looking for or why.

She counted her breaths, and the spaces in between them frightened her, for she was lucid of the emptiness that she found there.

Sleep eventually came when she stopped pondering about it... which didn't happen soon enough.

Applebuckery

The cock crowed.

Morning mists and condensation.

Applejack awoke in a blink.

Seconds later, her able-bodied limbs tilted out of bed.

She landed on all four hooves, yawned once, and marched evenly towards the washroom.

Ready to start the day.

Her yawns had ended by the time she reached the kitchen on the first floor of the Apple Family Home.

With memorized motions, she heated up the stove, gathered baking materials, and started making flapjacks.

Within half-an-hour, a full breakfast had been prepared.

Awake before most of the household, Applejack sat at the table, poured on some syrup, and munched away in silence.

Less than fifteen minutes later...

...she got up, washed off her plate, and left the rest of the breakfast warm and prepared for the other three ponies who would be waking within the next ten minutes. She made a lunch for Apple Bloom, bagged it, and headed out the kitchen door just as she heard the hoofsteps of Granny Smith and the youngest member of the Apple Family.

The barn door was already open. Big Mac had been by already. Without wasting a second, Applejack trotted inside, threw a tarp off a wagon full of baskets, and hitched herself to it.

She trotted outside, dragging the wagon behind her. In her peripheral vision, she spotted a muscular red figure headed towards the heart of Ponyville. He vanished beyond the crest of a hill before she could even hear his deep, humming voice.

Gathering a few tools, Applejack threw them into the back of her wagon and trotted briskly for the orchards. She caught glimpse of two figures in her opposite peripheral—one green and the other yellow. There was a distant voice—Granny Smith wishing Apple Bloom a pleasant day at school.

Then all was creaking wagon wheels as Applejack made for the orchards.

Alone.

Hours later, Applejack was bucking her thousandth apple tree.

She was a living capsule of pain and sweat. It was invigorating.

Breathing evenly, she heaved a basket full of fallen apples into the back of her wagon. Then she moved the wagon over to another tree, placed an empty basket beneath it, and resumed bucking with wild abandon.

Even more hours later...

Applejack slapped another basket full of apples into the back of her wagon.

Her mouth felt parched.

Panting for breath, she hobbled around towards the opposite end of the vehicle where a casket full of water hung. She put her muzzle directly beneath the spicket, released, and drank its lukewarm contents.

Then—thoroughly quenched—Applejack doused her neckerchief in the liquid and used the wet rag to wipe her freckled face.

It was the first time all day that Applejack had stood perfectly still.

Her body stung all over... but even that went away.

Eventually, she lowered her neckerchief and stared out from beneath the brow of her hat. Her forehead and eyelashes were moist from the water. The sensation numbed her—however briefly, so that she spent the time staring out with absent-minded contemplation.

Rows and rows of apple trees loomed before her. All was green and vacant in between. A few songbirds flitted overhead, but that was all.

Applejack breathed in silence.

Slowly—with stiff limbs—she turned around and looked the other way.

Orchards and orchards stretched.

Nopony whatsoever.

A blue sky yawned over the beautiful emptiness, filled with the scent of apples. Familiarity.

Applejack breathed. She looked to her left... to her right... and forward yet again.

The more seconds that limped by, the more her ears rang to fill the void.

So she filled it with something else instead. Marching up to another tree, she prepared a basket and struck her hooves against the trunk with all her might.

Seedlings

Applejack had taken a long bath.

It was still a glowing afternoon when she trotted tiredly down the stairs...

...and into the kitchen to prepare the Apple Family dinner.

As she did so, she passed by a green shape. Unexpectedly, that green shape talked.

"When are ya fixin' to bake them treats for the hoedown, AJ?"

"G-guh!" Applejack jolted in place, nearly tripping into the stove.

Granny Smith was likewise startled, shifting in her chair at the kitchen table. "Land's sakes, girl! Did ya turn part feline overnight?" She adjusted her bifocals and continued staring at a smattering of old letters and envelopes spread out before her. "It's just me, ya dag'blame'd fool!"

"I know! I know just..." Applejack winced, feeling her heartbeat return slowly to a normal pulse. She exhaled, straightened her hat, and prepared the stove. "Long day, Granny."

"They're all long days, Applejack."

Applejack exhaled. "I know..."

"Reckon ya didn't answer my question none."

"Oh! Uhm..." Applejack fidgeted slightly. "I suppose I'll be bakin' 'em tomorrow? Tomorrow night sounds good."

"Fair 'nuff." Granny Smith perused more letters, squinting through her narrowly-framed glasses. "I'll be sure to clear out of the kitchen by then. Give ya some space." A wrinkled smile. "I just know yer gonna wow the saddles off them Harvest folk. Heh... eatin' nothin' but carrots and pears has gotta murder them poor taste buds of theirs. Hyeh hyeh..."

Applejack lingered in place before the stove.

"Somethin' botherin' ya, lil' Appleseed?"

"Granny...?" Applejack looked over her shoulder. "Just about how many ponies was there when Ponyville was first settled?"

"Ya mean how many of us were travelin' together all pilgrim-like in the Apple Family Caravan?"

"Errr... yeah..."

"Why..." Granny Smith looked towards the ceiling. She fanned herself with two of the yellow'd envelopes clenched gently together. "There was Ma. Pa. Goldie. My two cousins... oh and their cousins too. Reckon a few of the Oranges were helpin' us with the wagon parts from time to time. And then there was the Rich Family from the next town over—you know what became of them." A blink. She looked back at Applejack with a smile. "Reckon I don't remember!"

Applejack sighed inwardly. "Right..."

"But... eh... a good two dozen of us!" Granny Smith said. "Easily! Then again, it was always changin' every month or so. We Apples lurve to help each other out, and distant relatives from Fillydelphia and beyond was always stoppin' on by... sleepin' in the barn... pitchin' tents... doin' whatever they could to get the Zapapples harvested and the rows of regular fruit trees seeded all nice and proper..."

"Sooooooo..." Applejack squinted out the window at the orchards stretching outward for hundreds and hundreds of acres. "...once upon a time... this place was filled with dozens of ponies at any given time... millin' all about and livin' off the farm?"

"Well... yes, Applejack. I reckon so. But that was a long time ago and since then our farmin' skills have improved mighty fine! Wouldn't you say?"

Applejack sighed.

"Is... is somethin' rotten in the basket, AJ?"

"Sometimes... when I look out at the farm that Ma and Pa helped seed..." Applejack brushed a few bangs up under her hat. "...miles and miles of glorious trees stretchin' in every direction... I can't help but feel that it all looks so... so..."

"Hmmm?"

"... ... ...so sparsely populated." Applejack blinked at herself.

"I'm afraid that I don't follow."

"No, reckon you don't." Applejack toed at the kitchen floor, exhaling through a tired smile. "Because I'm not particularly headed anywhere of note."

"I guess it has been a long for ya, darlin'." Granny made to scoot out of her chair. "Want me to fix dinner instead—?"

"No. No need to fuss." Applejack waved a hoof. "You just sit tight. I've got this."

"Hmmm..." Granny Smith sat with a proud smile. "You always do."

"I aim to keep it that way." Applejack gathered a skillet and spatula. "Just... my mind sometimes wanders on a day like this. Reckon it'll help to get to bakin'."

"Always works for me! Er... well... it used to... before I began accidentally sealin' my dentures beneath the pie crust. Hehheh... glad one of us still has the touch!"

"Whew-wee... I've got my work cut out for me, though!" Applejack glanced across the kitchen. "Treatin' a whole hoedown full of rambunctious ponies? Glad I've got the whole week to plan it!"

"Hyeh-hyeh! You say that... but it'll be over before you know it!" Granny Smith winked. "Trust me."

Hooooooooooooooooooooooooooedown

"Applejack!" Golden Harvest beamed, her eyes glittering from the blaze of a brilliant bonfire. Behind her, ponies trotted in happy droves towards the open doors of a brightly-lit barn. Country music wafted out on jubilant strings, matching cadence with cricketsong as the whole of Ponyville gathered in one rural spot under the blanket of night. "Big Macintosh!" She reached forward and hugged the first pony within reach. "Ohhhhhhhhhh it's so great to see youuuuu!"

"Heh heh heh..." Applejack leaned back from the hug and smiled. The bonfire caught her freckles under blossoming starlight. "Wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"Aaaaand..." Golden Harvest sniffed the air, her muzzle wriggling with excitement. "What's that I smell?! That delicious fragrance?"

"Reckon it's Big Mac's cologne," Applejack said with a wink.

"Not unless Ponyville's most eligible bachelor has a habit for smelling like fritters and apple pie!" Golden Harvest winked. "Come on! Fess up! What did you bring to the party?"

Applejack leaned forward with a wink, giving her bulging saddlebags a shake. "That's a secret for yer taste buds to unlock."

"Eeeeeeyup!" Big Mac nodded with a grin.

"Still..." Applejack tilted her hat back. "Reckon yer attendees are gonna lurve it!"

"Only if you love it with them!" Golden Harvest said.

"Big Mac, maybe. Me? Eheheh..." Applejack shifted nervously where she stood. "I'm not that big on square dancin'."

"You don't have to be!" Golden Harvest beamed, tugging the brother and sister past the wooden gate of the Harvest Farmstead. "You just gotta show up and be happier than a peach in spring! This hoedown is for everyone! And the Apples are more than welcome!"

"Well, shucks, we sure can't turn down good ol' country hospitality!"

"Then perish the thought!" Golden Harvest exclaimed, pouting momentarily. "Hang out as long as you like! Ohhhh do I have some stories to tell about the latest turnip harvest from rural Torontrot!"

"Wow. The turnip harvest." Applejack gave Big Macintosh a smug grin. "Won't that be to die for."

Big Macintosh suppressed a snicker.

"No more milling about! Now git!" Golden Harvest waved them towards the barn. "It ain't a real Ponyville hootenanny until we've got some Apples in the core of thangs, heatin' it up! Whew! I feel so alive I could leap over an ocean!" She turned to greet the next pony shuffling up. "Caramel! Why, aren't you looking absolutely splending this evening, Missy?"

"Er... it's 'Mister,' but... I-I'm flattered. Really."

"Yes yes. Enough with the pleasantries. How do you get your mane so silky?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked. You see..."

Big Mac and Applejack trotted out of earshot. They whistled to themselves, chuckling breathily as they adjusted the weight of the treats they were hauling towards the noisy barn.

"Celestia help me..." Applejack rolled her eyes. "I do not have the gift of the gab."

"Eeeenope."

Applejack glared aside. "Yer not one to talk. You had it. You just gave it up."

"Mmmmmmmm..."

"Don't you 'Mmmmmmmm' me, mister! I've been having to pick up the chatterbox slack all these years! You owe me!"

"Eeenope!"

"Fine!" Applejack tilted her head up and marched ahead. "Next time a gaggle of mares hit on you, you can just fend them off on yer own."

"Guh—!" The stallion suddenly gasped, waving a hoof after her. "AJ—!"

"Hahah! Granny ain't here! You can only save yerself, ya big varmint." Applejack approached the barn entrance, squinting. "Whew-wee! It's bright in there! Oh!... uh... howdy, Mayor. That's a... mighty frilly saddle yer wearin' right there."

Dust and Shadows

"Hooboy..." Applejack tilted her head back as she and Big Mac made their way to the refreshment table. Several ponies brushed by them in the bustling place, and many a hoof was waved in their direction, accompanied by smiles and cheerful exclamations. "Just how old is this barn? Must be dusty—cuz there is a whole lot of winkin' goin' on."

"Heheheh..." Big Mac smirked. "Eeenope."

Applejack looked up at him. "Nope? As in... no dust or no winkin'?"

Big Mac rolled his eyes.

"And just who tapped the sass barrel inside you all of a sudden?" Applejack's freckled muzzle scrunched. "I swear. Every time we get within so much as a hoofball field from a group of gabbin' ponies, you revert back to yer old self!" She waved a forelimb at the thicker portions of the lantern-lit crowd. "Well go on! Go and talk some ponies' ears off like you used to! I know yer dyin' to get it done!"

"Heheheh..." Big Mac shook his redhead. "Nawwww..."

"Eugh. Fine. Just help me unload the fritters." Applejack bumped into a few ponies as she arrived at the table. "Pardon. Whoops! My apologies. Sorry—didn't see yer tail there. Aw—mighty thanks. Just gotta scoot on through... mmmmm... herrrre we are!"

Applejack let loose a heavy breath of relief once she had some flank-room. She cleared a swath of open space atop the table and pulled the boxes full of baked goods out of her saddle.

"Okay... okay..." She breathed in and out with no small amount of melodramatic poise. "...just... get the treats spread out all nice and tasty. Put in a good word for Granny. Speak to Filthy Rich and a few of his friends. Then... mmmmm... m-make a swift skedaddle! No big whoop!" She turned to smile at Big Macintosh. "Nopony will know we was even here!"

Big Mac glared at her.

Applejack raised an eyebrow under the brim of her hat. "What?" She shrugged. "Is my mane a mess?"

The stallion slowly shook his head. "Eeeeeeeeeeenope."

"Big Mac, I..." Applejack grimaced, rubbing her shoulder as she looked nervously towards the corners of the room. "I just... ain't that good with crowds." She gulped. "Reckon you know what that feels like, right?"

"Eeyup."

"So... then... we're in agreement, right?" Applejack smiled crookedly. "We'll be in and out long before they begin their silly dance numbers. I mean... eheh... I dun mind cuttin' a rug or two, but I only ever seem to coordinate well when it's with other Apples like you or Apple Bloom or even Cousin Apple Stem—"

"OooOooOooOoooh!" Big Mac's eyes were suddenly shiny. He craned his neck to look over Applejack's hat.

"Huh?" Applejack turned around, following Big Mac's line of sight.

Her gaze fell upon a brand new model of plow—shiny and emblazened with a company logo. Filthy Rich stood beside it, striking a fancy pose as he patted a blue ribbon affixed to the top of the thing. Slicking his hair back, the stallion rambled off one sales pitch to another while surrounding stallions drooled at the dazzling prototype on display in the corner of the barn. Filthy's spouse stood a few spaces away, rolling her eyes and sipping at punch.

"Oh Celestia have mercy..." Applejack chuckled. She turned to smile at Big Mac. "I guess it's finally happened. You—big brother—are in lurve."

Big Macintosh cooed. "Eeeeeeeeyup."

Applejack giggled.

Right around that time, the country band playing fiddles ended their latest number. The air filled with a chorus of "yeeeeeeeeeeeha's", and shortly after—as the musicians took a moment to relax and mill about with the partygoers—the air filled with a delightful, songful melody.

"Why, heavens-to-betsy!" Applejack paused in placing out dishes full of apple treats. She looked all around for the source of the heavenly harmony. "That... sounds just like a freshly-opened bottle of spring! What is makin' that music?"

At last, she found the source of the melody. It was a flock of songbirds, perched on a beam overhead. They stood in a color-coordinated line, harmonizing with beaks angled brightly in the lanternlight.

"Huh... songbirds? Congregatin' at night?" Applejack smiled to herself. "I haven't seen somethin' like that since I visited the Cloud District in Fillydelphia! I wonder..." She looked around. "...did the Harvest family hire a pegasus to come and coordinate the party—?"

Applejack froze.

Her heart sank deep into her chest.

Across the way... dressed in smoky black silks and sashes...

...was Silver Shadow.

The visiting outsider had midnight-blue flowers pinned to her lusciously curled mane. She stood near the wall, smiling and chatting it up with a stallion or two. All the while, she looked bored... and sad. Her eyes swept the lengths of the barn's crown... searching... hoping... yearning—

"Guhhh!" Applejack found herself backtrotting on numb hooves. "Mrmmm... Big... B-Big Mac...?" She clenched her teeth. "I-I changed my mind! We gotsta go! We gotsta go now!"

Silence.

Trembling like a foal, the mare looked over her shoulder.

"Big Mac?" her voice cracked.

Across the barn, she spotted him. The oafish red stallion was standing before Filthy Rich. Together, they chatted while gesturing at the shiny new plow. Big Mac continued to drool.

"Rrrrrngh!" Applejack gnashed her teeth. "Consarn it! This stinks more than a... skunk stuck up a tree with a... a..." She slapped her forehead. "Guh! My countryism gland's done poached itself dry!"

On the far side of the barn, a pair of ears perked up. Silver Shadow was eagerly craning her neck.

"Shoot!" Applejack squatted low and shuffled stealthily into the thick of the crowd.

The Squattening

"I... uh..." Applejack brushed herself off and stood up straight. "I promise I ain't usually like this." She cleared her throat. "Representin' the Apple Family—one of the longest if not the longest standin' earth pony families in Ponyville—I find myself havin' to speak in front of crowds and motivate local farm ponies into workin' with one another all together-like. But... I... uh... I-I reckon that this evenin' ain't like all my other evenin's."

"I'm... s-sorry to hear that." Fluttershy remained squatting... trembling. "For me... this evening is just like very evening."

"Well, that's a cryin' shame!" Applejack smirked proudly. "Yer a bright young mare! You dun brought us a bunch of beautiful singin' birds to keep the place lively! You should be out in the thick of the crowd, livin' it up! Boastin' over what you've accomplished!"

"Oh no!" Fluttershy covered her eyes, grimacing. "I couldn't! I wouldn't!" She gnashed her teeth. "It's just... just so uncomfortable."

Applejack shrugged. "Comfort ain't always everythang. Most of the time you gotta sweat and ache in order to get thangs done."

"Then why aren't you 'out in the thick of the crowd, livin' it up?'"

"Oh... uhhhhhh..." Applejack winced visibly, sweating slightly. "You... uh... eheheh... you got me there."

"I'm sorry..."

"What for, sugarcube?"

"I can tell you're only trying to motivate me to be more social and assertive." Fluttershy sighed out the side of her muzzle. "A lot of ponies try and do that... but I'm such a hard pony to change or push myself... and then they all get impatient with me and give up. I... don't keep a lot of friends..."

"Awwwww... now don'tcha go sayin' that!" Applejack reached over and hooked a hoof around the mare's shoulder. "I'm sure you'd make lots of ponies happy just to get to know you! What... with you knowin' so much about birds and... uhm..." Applejack's eyes darted around. "... ... ...bein' skilled in hiding behind barn support beams where nopony can see you." She gulped. "Celestia knows I could use a bit of talent in that right now.."

"Actually... I... uhm..." Fluttershy brushed at her pink bangs. "I'm the town's official animal caretaker."

"Oh yeah? Since when?"

"Uhm... a f-f-few months ago?"

"Well, what a fine surprise!" Applejack grinned wide. "I'm standin' next to a practical celebrity! Yeeeee—" She froze in mid yodel, pupils shrinking. She squatted again next to Fluttershy.

"Oh... I-I wouldn't want to be a celebrity," Fluttershy said. "All of that attention and... mmmmm... pr-pressure?" She sighed, then put on a weak smile. "I-I'm just happy to bring so much comfort to so many cute and lovely animals."

"Well..." Applejack spoke in a hushed tone, her eyes wandering across the crowded barn to where she last spotted Silver Shadow. "I can respect that a whole lot."

"Really?"

"Darn tootin'," Applejack whispered, craning her neck anxiously. "It's a mighty fine thing when a pony has love and affection for her work."

"Oh. Oh yes." Fluttershy nodded. "I agree."

"Just... keep your heart on your work and nothin' else. Then life takes care of itself!" Applejack pawed at the floorboards with pensive hooves. "Yessirree bob. Just... lovin' work." She gulped. "There ain't no sense in lurvin' anything or... a-anypony else..." Her green eyes darted towards Fluttershy. "Is there?"

"That's hard to say."

Applejack breathed with relief. She smiled into the shifting shadows of the hoedown. "Heh... what's the sense in overthinkin' it..."

"Although..."

"???" Applejack's ears perked up.

Fluttershy spoke nervously, "I could have left with my singing bird friends half-an-hour ago... but... mmmmm... I decided to stay."

"Well, good for you!" Applejack patted the timid mare's shoulder as they squatted together. "See? You've got some gumption in you after all!"

"Well... it's not really for myself that I decided to stay. But... but..."

"Yeah?"

Fluttershy hesitated.

Applejack blinked at her, curiously.

"You... you've been so kind, Applejack. And... and I wish I could explain it, but... but you strike me as so nice and kind and honest. I feel like I could almost tell you anything... but... but I-I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable—"

"Hey. It's alright. As far as I'm concerned, you've made a friend tonight."

Fluttershy's feathertips fluttered. "I have?"

"Sure thang! I like work-oriented ponies who take care of the animal folk!"

"Oh... oh that's so wonderful..." Fluttershy exhaled, her voice turning melodic.

"Heheh... now... go on..." Applejack waved a fetlock, smiling kindly. "What's so special about this here hoedown that's gotten you to bite the bullet and stick around?"

"Well... it's not a what... but a who."

"Oh?"

"And... and ever since I saw this pony, I... I-I..." Fluttershy's cheeks flushed. "...I-I just can't g-get myself to leave."

"Err... which pony is it?"

"It's... it's the one over there..."

"Where?"

Fluttershy pointed with a trembling hoof. "Right... there..."

"Oh yeah...?" Applejack tilted her neck around and squinted across the crowd. "...which one?"

"The stallion... the one with soft eyes... and a gentle smile..."

"'Soft eyes and gentle smile' you say?"

"Right across from us."

"I can't see 'em..." Applejack cocked her head to the side. "Is he behind Big Macintosh?"

"Big Macintosh???" Fluttershy gasped. "Is that his name?" Then she deflated—her whole body anchored by a smile. "Ohhhhhhh that's so... nice."

"Hah! What a coincidence! I have a big brother by that name! Heh heh heh." Applejack smiled. Applejack blinked. Applejack blinked again. "Wait."

Huh?

"Just last month, he came to my cottage and brought by an adorable collie—Winona, I believe was her name. Poor little Winona had injured her paw by stepping into a gopher hole while herding sheep at a nearby farm. Such a brave, beautiful dog. She patiently waited and wagged her tail as I bandaged her leg. Didn't even flinch. But... Big Macintosh! Heeeee... what a handsome name. Poor stallion was so worried. You should have seen him... dancing in places... gnawing at his fetlocks. I could tell he was scared sick for Winona. I tried to tell him that it was alright and Winona had merely bruised her paw. But I tould tell with a pony like him that actions speak louder than words. So I calmly finished my task at hoof and... ohhhhh... the look on his face when he got to hold Winona again was so precious. A soul like that can harbor much love... reinforced by sincerity and a general spirit of good will for all things big and small. I mean... uhm... I-I guess I can't pretend to say that's entirely true of him for sure. I'm always told that I have a hard time reading other ponies. And it's true. I'm much better with animals... little birds and bunnies and the like. But there was just... something so little and 'adorable' about him... even if his name is far from little. Or his... er... g-girth. Ahem. B-But I felt that there was a simplicity about him... a peace-of-mind-and-heart that was... enviable in a way. Ever since he visited with Winona, I couldn't stop thinking about him. And then I started seeing him in the marketplace... at the park... in... er... in the p-post office. Uhm... it's n-not that I was following him around or anything... but it just so happened that we both only went into town to do the most basic of necessities and so I couldn't help but run into him. Well... I didn't run into him... but you know what I mean. We crossed paths a lot without crossing paths and... heeeeee... he's just so quiet and deliberate about everything he does. Whenever ponies speak to him, he has a smile on his face. I can't ever hear what he says... but it's okay. I'm sure his voice is just as soft and loving as his demeanor, and I think the country of Equestria would be far better off if it had more stallions like him. But then again... well... I-I guess that would make him less special in the grand scheme of things. But not for me of course. Heeeheeeheee... er... uhm..." Fluttershy blushed and rubbed one hoof against the other. "I-I'm sorry. I just started talking and talking. Please forgive me, Applejack."

Applejack stared and stared. One ear twitched. She sputtered sideways: "Yer fancyin' Big Mac????"

Fluttershy blinked. She shifted nervously under the lanternlight of the barn. "Uhm..."

"But he's just so... so..." Applejack turned and grimaced towards the far end of the barn. "... ... ...so Big and Macky!"

"Heeheehee..." Fluttershy sighed happily, gazing across the party towards the large red sight. "I knowwwwwwww..."

"I..." Applejack tilted her hat back and rubbed her head. "I just dun get it."

"Well... I-I mean I know that he and I would never... uhm... n-never actually talk to one another." Fluttershy melancholically pawed at the floor. "But life is short and precious and I guess a pony like me can't help but have a crush every now and then."

"A crush?" Applejack asked.

"Erm... yes." Fluttershy looked up. "Y'know... when you really really admire another pony even though you know that there's no realistic chance of the two of you ever being together."

"... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..." Applejack blinked. "... ... ... ... ... ... ...Oh!" She threw on a plastic smile. "Oh, sure! Heh heh!" She tossed a hoof, blushing. "It's... j-just the... uh... knee-slappingest feelin' in the world! Heh heh heh!"

"Heeheehee..." Fluttershy covered her giggling muzzle with a dainty hoof. "Well, I've never heard it put that way!"

"Heheheh... ehhhhh..." Applejack gulped, then leaned towards Fluttershy with a quiet breath. "How do you reckon a crush feels like?"

"Oh..." Fluttershy's feathertips quivered as she positively lifted off the ground. "It's like waking up to a warm toasty sunrise every minute of every day! You feel this abundance of joy and hope welling up from deep inside you! You want to smile and wave at everypony and just... be glad that you're alive for another second so that you can think about the pony who makes your world turn round..."

"Wow..." Applejack's eyes fell to the wayside. "That... sounds pretty nice, actually."

"But..." Fluttershy touched back down, her ears drooping. "It can sometimes have the opposite effect." She gulped and stared into the hay strewn into the corners of the place. "Sometimes that feeling of adoration can weigh you down... make you more aware of how lonesome you feel... of how something's missing about your life all the time and you're always hoping... waiting... yearning to have it filled..."

"That..." Applejack's eyes fell even more. "...sounds not so nice."

"Still..." Fluttershy put on a gentle smile, standing upright with liquid grace. "...I wouldn't be without either feeling."

"Why not?"

"Because it's all part of being alive," Fluttershy said. "And—in a way—thinking about the ponies I care about inspires me to do more in life than I already do. And I could use all the coaching that I can get."

"Heh... I know that feeling quite a bit!" Applejack said with a smile.

"Oh?"

"My family means everythang to me..." Applejack looked over her shoulder towards the plow. "Reckon if they get to share the love with others then... then..." A warm breath. "...that's just fine and dandy in my book."

"And what about your special somepony?"

Applejack's eyes crossed. She shook her head clean and glanced at Fluttershy again. "Come again?"

"Oh..." Fluttershy winced, leaning back. "I... I-I assumed... I'm sorry..."

"It's... nothin' to be sorry about..." Applejack smiled. "Honest! Most ponies my age fetch themselves a partner of some kind."

"It's just that you're so kind and thoughtful and... well..." Fluttershy giggled inwardly, brushing a lock of hair over her ear with a coy smile. "It's hard to imagine a pony like you getting through secondary school without making countless classmates trip over themselves."

"... ... ... ... ... ...Huh?"

"Er... forgive me. I guess I'm not good with analogies—"

"Why would I make my fellow classmates trip over themselves? Reckon that ain't nice."

Fluttershy's muzzle hung agape. "You've... never had a special somepony, have you?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Applejack gulped, pressing herself against the wall again. She sported a nervous, sweaty smile. "Ya reckon that's... a bad thang?"

Green and Red Apples

"Well... no... not a bad thing." Fluttershy brushed a pink bang away for the millionth time and gazed across the barn. "After all, for some ponies having a relationship isn't very important to them."

Applejack blinked at that. She leaned on one pair of legs, then the other. "Well... uh... of c-course it's important!" She smiled. "How else are ya gonna have young'n's made? Y'know... to carry on the family."

"Hmmm-hmm-hmmm..." Fluttershy chuckled breathily. She turned to smile at Applejack. "There's more than one way to carry on a family."

Applejack leaned back. "There is?"

"I find that love—more than anything—is the key to carrying the family name on."

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Applejack smiled wryly. "But at some point that love leads to squirtin' somepony out, right?" She fought the urge to chuckle. "Ain't gonna be a job for storks. I found that out real dang young."

"Heehee... but it's not all biology, Applejack."

"Heh... say that to the ol' country doc who delivered Big—er... my brother and me."

Fluttershy smiled confidently at Applejack. "Do you love your parents?"

Applejack gulped. "More than life itself."

"And do they love you?"

"Oh... without a doubt." Applejack exhaled with a slight shudder. "In fact... I-I'm sure of it."

"Then what does it matter where you came from or how you got to be?" Fluttershy cocked her head aside. "So long as you know the ponies who love you and that they know that you love them back, then shouldn't everything be right in the world?"

Applejack was silent for a while. "I... uh... I-I guess I always factored in the blood-relation thang."

"And that's okay."

"I just... never put too much more thought to it," Applejack said, rubbing her head. "Or figured it needed more thought." She gulped. "I like keepin' things simple. A mare lurves a stallion. A stallion lurves a mare. Eventually you've got a Mommy and Daddy and everythang repeats itself."

"Is that the way your family's grown throughout the generations?"

Applejack squinted. "Is there a reason it shouldn't?"

Fluttershy stifled a giggle. "I'm just surprised, is all. I mean—at least here in Equestria—it's quite common for mares to pair up."

"It is?" Applejack immediately winced for saying that. She glanced nervously across the barn.

"Well, females outnumber males almost four to one."

"I... uh..."

"In fact... when I grew up to realize that I... uhm... f-fancied stallions..." Fluttershy blushed slightly. "I felt somewhat left out. So many fillies I grew up with liked other fillies. In fact, even my best friend—"

"I'm sorry."

Fluttershy gave Applejack a strange look. "Whatever for?"

"I must sound like a dumb ox."

"Not at all...!" Fluttershy shook her head. "Why would you even say that about yourself?"

"I feel... as if I never really opened my eyes to the matter before. Not that find anything wrong with it." Applejack gulped. "Just... I... uh..." A tired sigh. "I reckon I don't get out much. Most of my days are spent on the farm and that's it."

"Believe me... I understand." Fluttershy giggled aside. "Except for maybe the 'farm' part."

"Heheheh... dun sell yerself so short, Lil' Missy!" Applejack smiled at her. "When I first bumped into you, I thought you was a silly scaredy cat."

"Oh, but I am."

"Naw... I dun see that one bit." Applejack shook her head. "I think yer a sincere... honest mare with a lot to say, and I'm glad I got to lend you an ear if even for a little bit."

"Why... th-thank you..." Fluttershy's feathertips fluttered upon hearing that. "And I think you're warm and kind and thoughtful. It... it makes it easy to say things to you... and I-I find it hard to speak to most ponies." Fluttershy sighed, looking aside with a melancholic expression. "I wish most ponies were like you..."

"Or... perhaps... like you?"

Fluttershy gulped, brushed her bangs aside, and nodded meekly. "Mmmm-hmmm."

Applejack glanced across the barn. Ponies were dancing again, but Big Mac stood silent and still beside the plow. Quiet as a rock.

"Y'know..." Applejack tongued the inside of her muzzle. She smiled to herself. "I think I just might happen to know a pony you could easily talk to... besides me, of course."

Fluttershy looked up. "Oh...?"

Baby Steps

"Eeeyup... I know a pony who's thoughtful... peaceful... gentle... soft-spoken..." Applejack tilted her hat back. "A pony who fancies quiet time and workin' with animals and bein' around nature..."

"Oh... oh those all sound like wonderful qualities..." Fluttershy leaned forward more and more on her feeble limbs. "It would be most lovely to know more ponies like that!"

"Well, this pony is real! And—on top of that..." Applejack winked. "He's a stallion."

"He is?"

"Eeyup. And a real..." Applejack squinted in the distance, struggled a bit, then finally spat it out: "Real h-handsome one to boot!"

"Oh, that's... erm..." Fluttershy's cheeks turned rosy as she rubbed the back of her head. "...always a welcome th-thing."

"And... if that ain't all... he's at this very hoedown right now!"

Fluttershy's pupils shrank. "Oh gosh... oh gosh..."

"What?" Applejack leaned in. "Oh come on... this is exactly the kind of pony whom you could talk to!"

"I... I dunno..."

"I mean it. I see it now. There's so much about you two that is plum identical." Applejack chuckled to herself. "And I think it would be only fittin' if the two of you gave it the gab for a while. Just to make friends."

"But... b-but if he wants nothing to do with me?" Fluttershy stammered. "What if I-I just make a fool out of myself?"

"I promise that you won't." Applejack smiled. "Would I lie to you?"

"I..." Fluttershy looked up.

Applejack winked.

"... ... ...I don't know why, but I don't think you would." Fluttershy shook her head. "No."

"Well then... you wanna know the stallion's name?"

Fluttershy inhaled... inhaled... inhaled... then struck as courageous a pose as she could manage. "Sure..."

Applejack leaned in, pointed across the barn, and singled out a large red figure. "Over yonder. Ya see him? His name is Big Macintosh. And he's my brother."

"Oh! Wow! Big Macintosh! I was just thinking—" Fluttershy did a double-take. She looked at Applejack, muzzle agape.

Applejack merely smiled back.

Fluttershy blinked. A tiny snort came from her dainty nostrils, and she giggled breathily.

"Heh heh heh heh..." Applejack slapped her knee.

"Oh Applejack..." Fluttershy wiped her eye dry. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Reckon I wasn't sure what to think," Applejack said, tilting her hat back. "But then I realized that..." She exhaled softly through a contemplative expression. "...if there's any filly that's worthy of crossin' my big brother's path... I wouldn't mind it bein' a nice, gentle soul like yers."

Fluttershy blushed. "That's awfully sweet of you to say, Applejack. But..." She pawed at the ground. "It's just a crush. Nothing more."

"I dunno about that..."

"Huh?"

"What you described to me..." Applejack cleared her throat. "Well... I'm not sure I've ever come close to feelin' it before. But it sounds awfully amazin'... and it would be a shame not to share it with someone. Even if just to say 'hi.'"

"I can't honestly believe that you've never felt that way before, Applejack."

Applejack shrugged. "Believe what you want. It's true. But—who knows?" She smiled calmly. "Maybe my time has yet to come..."

Fluttershy nodded.

Applejack nodded back.

The two stood in nervous silence.

"I... I really can just go and say 'hi' to him?" Fluttershy said.

"Land's sakes, girl..." Applejack waved a hoof. "This ain't about me givin' you permission or whatnot! Just go and talk to the dag-blame'd stallion!"

"Oh... o-okay..."

"Ask him about plowin'," Applejack said. She jolted. "Er—the f-fields! Plowin' the fields!" She recovered with a bright grin. "I promise you that you'll get his attention right away."

"But... but what if he doesn't want to talk at all?" Fluttershy fidgeted. "What if he only wants to stand in silence and watch the rest of the party?"

"Then somethin' tells me you'll be in good company."

"Yeah..." Fluttershy giggled beneath her breath. "Yeah... I-I guess I would be."

"So... go on! Git!"

Fluttershy swallowed a lump down her throat. "Okay... okay... baby steps..." She trotted delicately across the barn. "Baby steps... you can do this... big brave dog... you can do this..."

"And whatever ya do..." Applejack called after her. "...dun ask him about the yoke around his neck! He's sensitive about that!" She chuckled good-naturedly. Then... after a prolonged breath... she turned to look towards the opposite end of the barn. "I think I just made a friend tonight." She clenched her jaw. "Now... maybe I can make more."

Applejack's eyes fell on Silver Shadow. The elegantly-dressed mare was talking to Golden Harvest and a few other locals. She laughed and sipped from punch, her eyes wandering around... most likely in search for orange freckles.

"Baby steps... right..." Applejack nervously stepped forward. "Words to live by..." And she made a firm path for Silver Shadow.

Raze this Barn, Raze this Barn

Silver Shadow was giggling. The lanternlight glinted off her mane and eyelashes, forming a pretty sheen.

Applejack swallowed. She trotted towards her. "Baby steps. Right..." Her ears perked up, orange and fuzzy. "I can do this... I can do this..."

Ponies trotted by. Silver Shadow glanced casually through the crowd. Her neck craned, dangling with pearls. There was a flounce to her dress' sleeves as she raised the half-empty cup to her fair muzzle one last time.

"She's a pony... and she fancies you... and you like ponies, so..." Applejack took a deep breath, marching. "I can do this... I can do this..."

Silver's gaze wavered... lifted... and reflected an orange shape. And orange shape growing closer... firmer... warmer. Her face lit up. Ears twitching as a smile slowly blossomed into being.

Applejack's hoof scuffled. She nearly slipped on sawdust. Catching herself took half-a-breath from her lungs and she wheezed forth: "I can do this. She's purdy as the dickens. She's a mare..." Her muzzle hung open. Her steps faltered ever so slightly. "...she's a mare... I'm a mare... a country mare who smells like sweat and l-livestock."

Silver quickly got rid of the drink, ruffled her beautiful mane, and straightened her sparkly blouse. Then, with elegant poise, she took the first of many steps towards Applejack.

Applejack's ears drooped. Her pupils shrank. "... I can't do this... I can't do this..."

Ponies laughed.

Dancing hooves thundered closer and closer. A turnip tempest imploding all around. Silver came closer; Applejack could see an orange reflection in her pearly-white perfect teeth.

"Guhhhh... uhhhh..." Applejack sweated. She looked left. She looked right. "Filthy!" She cast a muscular forelock outward and hooked in a gasping older stallion wearing a necktie. "You frugal old sonuvagun! What brings you to a rambunctious hootenanny like this?"

"Ohhh! Uhm... uhhh..." Filthy Rich took a moment or two to straighten the cracks in his deep voice. He adjusted his collar and smiled awkwardly at the mare who was cradling him. "Ponyfolk! I suppose! What are you—"

"A dance between ol' family friends?!?" Applejack drawled loudly, her voice echoing against the barn's support beams. "Why, I thought you'd never ask!"

"But I didn't—Whoah!" Filthy Rich went cross-eyed as he was flung into a dosey-do.

"Whewwww-wee!" Applejack smiled through her sweat as she and Filthy twirled swiftly towards the exit. "Sure is nice to be livin' it up with longtime trusted friends ain't it?" She sensed several ponies staring at her—including a pair of blank, blinking eyes belonging to a limp silver shape. "Heheh... ya gotta lurve tradition! And I'm a traditional k-kind of mare!"

"Y-yes! Most c-certainly!" Filthy wheezed, dangling in her grasp. "And you're also very st-strong!"

"It's what I get for bein' an Apple! Of course..." Applejack winked. "Pa never taught me how to square dance good and proper. Too busy buckin' apples and harvestin'... which is the one thang I lurve more than anythang else in the world!"

"Well, th-that would certainly explain why we're waltzing!" Filthy Rich chuckled... then muttered out the side of his disheveled muzzle. "And you're leading..."

"What's that???" Applejack tilted her orange snout towards the heavens. "You say you need forty whole bushels of apples by midday tomorrow?"

"What? Applejack, I didn't say—"

"Shoot! Shoot on a shoot stick!" Applejack dropped Filthy Rich ("Whoah!" Thud!). "Reckon I'd gotta make like a fritter and vanish from the plate! It's been fun, y'all! My thanks to the Harvest family for bein' so... ... ...harvesty!" And she turned tail and galloped out in a flash.

Big Mac stood beside the plow, feeling its handles with a caressing fetlock.

"HiyaBigMac!" An orange blur sailed past him. "Good-byeBigMac!"

"Hmmm?" Big Mac looked all around... even as his windblown mane and tail settled in place.

"Uhm..." A dainty yellow hoof tapped his leg. "Erm... excuse me...?"

The stallion turned around. He blinked. At last, he looked down.

A demure, wilted pegasus stood with his shadow. She looked up with the softest of smiles. "I... I heard that your name is Big Macintosh." Turquoise eyes sparkled with starlight. "Is that correct?"

Big Mac stared and stared. His coat turned twice as crimson as he slurred, "Eeeeyupppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp..."

An Apple a Day

Daytime.

Applejack slammed her hooves into the base of a tree.

Fruit fell, filling a basket.

She didn't bother wiping the sweat from her eyes. She had gone through these motions so often and for so long, that she could practically do it blind.

She placed the filled basket into a wagon, pulled loose an empty one, then brought it to the line of orchards. Her hooves flew against gnarled bark, and she heatedly repeated the entire process.

And it wasn't until the morning rippled into a humid afternoon that she realized...

...she was the only Apple working the farm.

Curious, the mare looked towards the opposite end of the landscape... towards the barn.

There was a plow. There was a wagon. There was a toolbox, a set of livestock feed, and several unfinished chicken coops.

But there was no Big Macintosh.

Applejack said nothing. Felt nothing.

She returned to the line of trees and resumed her bucking.

Sunset.

Applejack sat at the end of the dinner table, picking at her food.

Apple Bloom kept chattering and prattling away.

Granny Smith laughed.

Big Macintosh laughed louder.

Applejack's calm green eyes darted up.

Apple Bloom was on a roll—or at least she felt as much. Every little tale she had to share about school that day brought a series of hearty chuckles and chortles from Big Mac's lungs. The stallion was smiling more than usual. His eyes were bright; his ears lively, perky. He even said more than two words—which made Granny Smith laugh and ramble on about one nostalgic anecdote after another.

Occasionally, a word or a glance would be thrown Applejack's way. Applejack smiled on cue... but the grin didn't last long. As the table's conversation gradually shifted away from her, the mare's freckles dipped into shadow... anchored by a contemplative deadpan. She continued staring at Big Mac... at the smile plastered suddenly on his face... at the thick mystery of it all.

Night.

The drifting clouds had a silver sheen to them. It shook Applejack to the core.

She closed the last of several windows... then reopened it with a crack for ventilation. With her evening chores done, she wandered into the living room. There, she found Granny Smith sitting in her rocking chair, reading a book.

"Well, whatcha got there, Granny?" Applejack's voice startled even herself. It was then that she realized it was her first time speaking in nearly two hours. Nevertheless, she approached her grandmother with a smile and said, "Dun wanna get lost too deep in them words! They're liable to fuss with yer dreamin'!"

"Ohhhhhhh mule muffins!" Granny Smith waved a wrinkly hoof. "I'm not even tired! And besides... a bit of wranglin' the ol' noodle could do me a lot of good these days."

"Heh... bet Big Macintosh can relate... at least partially." Applejack nudged Granny Smith's shoulder. "Hah! Hyeh-hyeh... ya get it? Because... because he..."

"I dun get it."

"Yeah. Me neither." Applejack hung her head. "Say... uh... Granny? I know it's late and ya dun need to be bothered with anythang silly... but I've been wrestlin' with somethin' might fierce all day." She swallowed a heavy lump down her throat. "Say there was this pony... this kind and polite stranger of a pony who somehow thought the world of you... but you plum avoided her like a jackass just 'cuz." She grimaced, then looked up with folded ears. "You reckon it would be a good and proper thang to head into town and tell her yer sorry before ya might miss her—?"

"Shhhnnorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..." Granny Smith was fast asleep.

Applejack blinked. She sighed to herself... then put on a loving smile. Not long after, she draped a quilt over Granny's figure, tucked it around the rocking chair, and blew out half the candles before trotting upstairs.

Applejack walked slowly... slowly through the halls.

Her eyes fell to the floor. Her ears pivoted in time to catch each groan and creak of the floorboards.

At some point, she passed Apple Bloom's room...

...and noticed it was cracked open.

"... ... ...?"

With a twinge of sisterly concern, Applejack pivoted about and peaked into the room.

She saw a tiny figure lying in bed... stretched across the mattress... uncovered and shivering.

Biting her lip, Applejack quietly trotted in. With a hushed breath, she reached for the blanket draped partially across the floor... and tucked it over and around Apple Bloom.

A tiny murmur escaped the filly's lips. Half-asleep, Apple Bloom wrapped herself even tighter in the warm sheets.

Applejack smiled. She leaned in and kissed Apple Bloom's neck... then kissed her on the top of her head.

She lingered there, staring into shadows and starlight... the residue of something else... and yet everything she had ever known.

"I love you, Apple Bloom," Applejack murmured dearly. Honestly. "I really... truly love you." Her eyes crossed pictures on the wall, framing the dead. "I just..." She nuzzled the filly once again. "I just want you to know that—"

"Mrmmmmfff..." Apple Bloom turned over, fussing. "Apppppfffllljjkkk... stpppppppp..." And she buried her face into her pillow.

Applejack merely gazed at her. She gave the filly a final nuzzle, patted her head...

...then slowly made an exit. She closed the door softly behind her.

Version 2.0

Applejack lay on her side in bed, staring into the shadows.

She couldn't sleep.

There was no such as sleep.

Only darkness and the great void between sunrise and her mind.

It occurred to her that she had experienced other nights like this... nights of nothing with no slumber. Only now—with the weight of all her thoughts—it pressed against her every square inch with excrutiating persistence.

She wished for peace and quiet—and truly she had it. But she couldn't even pretend to enjoy the succulent tranquility on account of the throbbing rush of her own heartbeat pulsating in her ears.

At long last, the pressure drew her out of bed. She began walking... to where and for what purpose, she did not know. She strolled out of her room and shuffled lazily... limply down a gauntlet made of pony faces. Family faces. The dead and the living and the ghosts in between.

As she shuffled through the labyrinthe of her own house, she passed by the rooms of her closest kin. Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, and Apple Bloom were all asleep. Their combined breaths kept the house alive and shifting. Every door was open... and yet everypony seemed so far away. At one point or another, Applejack found herself lingering in a doorway or two, staring into the shadows... contemplating the warmth beyond the snoring sounds within.

She stood still. She didn't want to. Something deep inside Applejack—something burning and wrestless—made her long for a full-speed gallop into the moonlight.

It was crazy. But somehow—resisting that urge felt even crazier. Applejack was confused. More than that, she was alone.

She shuffled around even more. She saw more photographs... more faces. Each picture had a story to it, and she had recited them all in her mind a thousand times before. Only now—in a burst of lucid intensity—she realized she was only ever remembering the first time she heard those family tales. She never imagined what it must have been liked to first tell them... to remember them... to pass them along. And then—as Applejack imagined the possibility of passing them along herself—she froze up inside. She felt mortified... scared...

But she also felt excited too. It was a discomforting thing to be invigorated.

The shadows grew darker. The breaths of her sleeping family became louder... and dense. It used to comfort her... but now the familiarity was almost suffocating.

Applejack was being choked by everything she knew... and everything she knew was all there was to life and all there ever could be. She knew this. She expected this. She pledged allegiance to this. And suddenly—with the liquid grace of a dying flower—it was losing all its color. All that loomed beneath was darkness... like the clouds that had gathered over her parents' grave one dull, dismal day long ago.

She wanted to tell somepony... but there was nopony to tell.

At long last, she limped back to her room... and it was only after crawling back under the sheets that she experienced an even more startling revelation.

Her bed was large... ludicrously huge. Lying on her back in the middle of it, she felt paralyzed by the ocean of a mattress... adrift in shadow. So very small and alone.

So she did something she hadn't done since she was a foal. She grabbed her pillow... and hugged it tightly along the middle of her body. Then even tighter.

And when she murmured breathily into the darkness... she wasn't calling out for her Ma and Pa like she did when she was a child... but the lump in her throat was the same as it was back then. In fact, it tasted even more sour... for it was a brand new sadness.

Moisture lined Applejack's eyes. She brought a limp hoof to it... feeling the foundation of tears. There was no sobbing... for the mystery of the matter drained away the emotion, and Applejack found herself floating on a cloud of confusion.

Long, long and unto the dawn.

A Void

Applejack awoke extra early.

But it wasn't to do chores.

She trotted—more like limped—up the hill towards the south end of the farm. She didn't know where she was going or why—but that was a lie.

Applejack was only ever dishonest with herself when she most needed it.

At last, she entered the shade of young unplucked apple trees under a brightening dawn. The morning was gray and cold and quiet. She knelt amidst the sacred silence, staring at the two stones erected before her like she did every year.

This was an unplanned visit. So much about life was unplanned. Applejack was only starting to learn this.

"Hi Ma. Hi Pa."

She removed her hat.

"The farm is... the farm is doin' just fine and dandy."

Curved freckles.

"Between Mr. Rich's business and the regular Cider Season, we're practically rollin' in bits. We're hopin' to make a heap'o'money when the Summer Sun Celebration comes to town. So many ponies will be gallopin' on over from the furthest parts of Equestria to see the Princess show her stuff. I dunno about the rest of the family, but I'm plum excited."

A deep breath. Dew kissed Applejack's flanks from where she sat in the grass.

"And... they're doin' alright. The family, that is. Granny Smith is keepin' the house all nice and tighty... really enjoyin' herself. Apple Bloom's makin' friends at school. That's really nice. And Big Mac? I reckon he just might have found somepony very... very special in his life..."

Falling freckles. A cloud's shadow. Shudders.

"And me? Shucks... I'm doin' better than I ever have done before..."

Her emerald eyes scanned the orchards beneath the hill.

"Farmwork's as hard and hot and sweaty as it's ever been. But... somehow... I can manage just fine. And I'm scorin' dozens of business opportunities all across Ponyville. The Cake Family... the Harvests... even that mare who owns the confection shop uptown. We've made a barrel-load of business partners and it's puttin' Sweet Apple Acres on the map. I've even talked with Mayor Mare about possibly buyin' more land across the beaver streams. She respects me somethin' fierce. So many... ponies in town look up to me. I tell 'em I'm just carryin' on yer spirit of togetherness and respect. Reckon it's workin' mighty fine. I'm just... I'm fine, Ma and Pa. I'm doin' just fine..."

A slowly forming grimace. Applejack's ears folded.

"Which... which makes..."

She gulped.

"...which makes it all the more hard to admit... that I-I dun feel like I'm 'doin' fine.'"

Her eyes grew misty as she gazed at the tombstones yet again.

"I'm in a good place. Honest I am. The farm ain't sinkin'. The family's healthy and kickin'. I certainly don't have any sore hooves or hurtin' back bones. And... and yet..."

A sniffle.

"...every night I go to bed, I feel like... like somethin' is missin'..."

A tremble.

"...like th-there's this great big hole in my life and I can't seem to fill it with anythang n-no matter how hard I work or sweat or... or..."

She hung her head, fighting the urge to squeak like a foal.

"... ... ...and the funny th-thang is... I didn't start feelin' this way until now... now when I've got all my apples lined up in a row... now when everythang is just so perfect. Why do I feel this way? I don't want... I-I don't want..."

She raised her head up again. Jaw trembling. A tear formed along her cheek.

"I dun wanna disappoint y'all. I hate to complain. But... but somethin' is missin'. And... and I'm starting to wonder if you both felt it too. If you even could feel it. After all, you had..."

She gulped.

"...you had each other. And you had us. And... and..."

Silence.

Applejack sighed.

"Selfish..."

She plopped her hat back on.

"I'm just bein' plum selfish."

A final sniff, and any hint of tears receded back into her eyes. Hard emerald eyes above a calm smile.

"Been missin' sleep. Got me thinkin' all silly-like."

She nevertheless fought a sore throat as she stood up.

"I just... I just have to keep to my work... like y'all did. It's simple as that. It's simple as..."

She froze in place. Her knees shook.

"I love you."

The graves were silent.

"I love you. Always have... always will. That... that's good enough."

The shadows shifted as the sun slowly raised over the eastern plains.

"That's good enough."

Applejack turned around. She trotted firmly downhill.

"Good enough."

A Very Good Place to Restart

WHUD!

Applejack's well-toned hooves struck another tree.

Fruit fell.

Her eyes fell.

She sighed into the basket... plopped in a few loose apples... then pushed it firmly towards the nearby wagon.

She stacked the basket onto the back of the cart... then lingered where she stood.

It was the middle of the day. The sky was bright. The earth was warm. The clouds in between glinted in the sunlight.

Applejack stood in place. For a brief minute, she didn't work, she didn't struggle, she didn't think.

She looked towards her left.

The Apple Family house stood silent and proud in the center of the farmstead.

She looked to her right.

Orchards stretched on endlessly. The spaces in between hummed with humidity and cicada song.

Yet another sigh.

Applejack grasped another basket—an empty one. She lingered as her forelimbs grasped it. The gesture felt like a hug... but perhaps that was a stretch. Nevertheless, Applejack paused... savoring the sensation...

...and soon she was back to plopping the basket onto the ground and shoving it towards the next unplucked tree.

She was so focused on the next leg of work that she didn't detect the thunder in the air until it had reached a cresendo. Curious, her eyes darted up. The blue color of the sky was shifting, firing a veritable bullet earthward that streaked over her head and nearly tore her hat off.

"Whoah nelly—!" Applejack hissed. Her lungs had emptied in surprise so that she could scarcely pronounce her shock.

THUDDDD! Something landed violently in the soft, pliable earth. It grinded through the mud, forming a deep trench between the apple trees.

Once it came to a stop, Applejack was shocked to see that the fallen object possessed four limbs, two wings and a twitching tail. Her heartbeat went into overdrive.

"Land's sakes!" Applejack galloped towards the trench on heavy hooves. When she saw the tail twitching again in response, she continued: "That sure was one whopper of a dive you done took!"

There was a raspy sound. A grunt. Lithe limbs and blue muscles squirmed from the heart of the trench. Applejack smelled sweat, raindrops, and a hint of musk.

"Gallopin' galoshes!" She lingered on the edge of the freshly-formed crater, grimacing. "Look at you! Are y'all okay, Mister?"

"Guhhh... Missus," a cracking voice corrected. Blue wingfeathers stretched and unstretched. Every limb shifted as the petite figure came back to life. "Ugh... dang it!" The exclamation was followed by a pained series of mumbled words.

Applejack craned her neck. "What's that, darlin'? 'Fraid I couldn't make you out."

"Look, whoever you are... I'm friggin' sorry." The pegasus continued to squirm. Her rear legs were stuck in the muddy earth. "I was trying out my signature cloud-breaking move but the stupid winds... grrrrrr... nopony told me that the Equestrian Valley had gales!"

Applejack exhaled with relief. The pegasus was frustrated—yes—and perhaps disgruntled. But both were sizeably better conditions than being shattered to a bloody pulp. A slight smile formed on the farm mare's freckled muzzle. "Heh. I ain't no pegasus pony," Applejack said. "But the weather dun regulate itself 'round these parts like it does up in Cloudsdale."

"How... did you know...?" The newcomer shuddered from within the muddy pit. Only then did Applejack notice how contrastingly colorful her mane was against the brownness enveloping her. It was an exciting sight—the spectrum in all of its glory encapsulating a scampy lump of agitated flesh. "Forget it," the mare grunted... or filly? Applejack couldn't guess how young the poor thing was. "I gotta get back to my weather team or else the sky captain's gonna fire me on my first day. Freakin'..." She fought and struggled to yank herself out of the earth. "What's this mud made out of?! Seagull poop?!"

Applejack tilted her hat back with a proud smirk. "Richest and most fertile earth in the whole kingdom! You bet yer colorful mane!"

"Yeah, well, at the moment I don't really care for it."

"Here..." Applejack shifted forward until she stood on the lip of the trench. "Lemme help you out with that, sugarcube." She reached a hoof out, feeling for the petite pegasus' muddied fetlock. "What's yer name, speedy?"

"Mrrmmmfff... I'm fine, really." The pegasus squirmed with stubborn motions. "If you must know, my name is Rainbow Dash and—"

At last, Applejack grasped the mare's limb. She yanked upwards—and the mare flew up with surprising ease. Applejack hadn't realized how light-weight the pony ws. But it didn't matter; soon she was standing breathless before the farm mare, trembling in her grasp.

Applejack stifled a chuckle. "Hmnmm? And what, darlin?"

A pair of bright, ruby eyes reflected freckles and more freckles. A pair of wings slowly stretched outward as the precocious flier murmured: "...it's my birthday."

Where the Rainbow Begins

"Hah!" Applejack chose to grin at that statement. "Ya don't say?" She glanced at the mare's wings, and then back at the mare. "Chose an awfully peculiar day to do crazy loopty-loops in the sky, huh?"

The petite pegasus shrugged—wincing at the otherwise casual gesture. She was avoiding Applejack's gaze at that particular moment. "What can I say? I like to celebrate things with a bang."

"Well, you almost banged yerself to pieces. Ya sure nothing's broken inside that lil' body of yers?"

"I'm pretty sure. And... uh..." She cleared her throat, but her voice nevertheless cracked. "I'm not 'little.'"

Applejack ignored her. She was already gazing towards the farm house. "Reckon it's mighty swealterin' out here. Why don't you go rest yer bones in the shade?" She pointed. "See the porch over yonder?"

"Ah jeez—no. That's okay. It's no biggie—"

"Honest, darlin'. I insist."

"I'm just..." The mare fidgeted, wincing some more. Her ears flicked. "... ... ...alright."

"Over here..." Applejack motioned, trotting towards the house. "It'll be a heapin' bit more comfortable. I promise."

"Yeah. Okay. Kewl."

"Good thang you didn't bite it when you hit the earth. Heh..." Applejack tilted her hat in mid trot, smirking to herself. "Y'know... when I was a little filly... I used to think that everypony died on their birthday. Literally! I mean... how else could you say that someone was exactly 'seventy years old' or 'eighty-five years' when they died?"

"Yeesh..." Rainbow Dash's limbs fumbled a bit as climbed the front steps. She winced. "You were kind of a silly foal."

"Heh... darn tootin'." Applejack gave her some space. "Just have yerself a lil squat, sugarcube. "Rest up. You'll be good in no time."

"I'm fine," Rainbow said, finding a place to rest. "Thanks, and all, but I'm okay. Really."

"Y'all sure about that?" Applejack squinted her way. "That was quite the tumble you took."

"Eh..." Rainbow Dash brushed off the dirt and mud still clinging to her front hooves. "I didn't feel it. Believe me. Besides, I've had worse."

"Heh, no kiddin'. You look the athletic type." Applejack adjusted her hat. "Reckon yer used to bumpin' and fallin' and gettin' back up."

"Hey!" The pegasus frowned. "I'm not that clumsy! Just had a stroke of bad luck in this town."

"Well, shoot, you'd be the first, then!" Applejack chuckled. "I've been told that Ponyville's about the easiest, laziest place in all of Equestria. Erm... n-not that I'd know, of course. Eheheh..."

"Yeah. Sure." Rainbow Dash exhaled, coiling her wings at her side. "Still... uh... s-sorry about your soil and all, Miss..."

"Applejack." The mare in question smiled proudly. "And dun lose yer colors over it, Missy. Ain't nothin' that a good rakin' or plowin' won't fix."

Rainbow Dash squinted over. "You run this dirt farm all on your own?"

"Uhm... it's an apple farm," Applejack said, glaring. Of all the things the stranger had said in her abrasive tone, that was the first thing to strike her as borderline offensive. And yet—something about the foalish squeak in the mare's tone made it a great deal less caustic than it could have been... although it was probably meant to be less so. It allowed Applejack to relax her breaths, even halfway through her thoughtful response. "Sweet Apple Acres, to be exact. Everypony who knows anythang about Ponyville has heard of us and our produce."

"Well—pffft—buck me." Rainbow Dash rolled her ruby eyes. "I've only been here for a day." She gave her tail a slight flick... like a runaway prism reflection.

"Eheh..." Applejack was standing in the shade, althought she didn't feel it. "Do pardon me." She was compelled to take her hat off. She proceeded to fan herself in a casual gesture. Applejack gazed past Rainbow Dash, her green eyes wandering to the tall hill on the southwest side of the farmstead. "Reckon I get mighty feisty when the pride of the Acres is on the line. I shoulda figured you haven't been here long."

Silence.

Applejack asked: "Just why did ya leave a happenin' sky town like Cloudsdale anyways?"

More silence.

"Erm..." Applejack plopped her hat back on and looked back at Rainbow Dash. "Did I lose y'all or somethin'—"

"Oh!" Rainbow Dash jolted in place, her eyes swimming away from Applejack. She fidgeted and squirmed for some reason. "Uhm... pffft... the ponies there were holding me back."

"Holding you back?!" Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Pegasi?"

"Mmmm... yeah." Rainbow sat down on the porched and gazed up at the sky. "I don't get why there's gotta be so many stiff rules and regulations with flying. Having wings is all about freedom, y'know? Why not show off if you've got the skills to spin circles around pillars of cloudstone?!"

Applejack shrugged. "Dun think I can relate, but I feel ya, sugarcube."

"So then I heard about a climate exchange program and how Cloudsdale is working with outlying townships in order to improve Equestrian weather flying abroad. And... boom... I ended up landing here."

Applejack smirked. "Heh... landin' and a half!"

Rainbow droned. "Hey, watch it."

"Just joshin' ya, darlin'." Applejack chuckled, happy to return a twinge of feistiness. "Well, you picked the best town in all of Equestria to get settled, wings or no wings!"

"Meh." Rainbow Dash stifled a yawn. "Ponyville wasn't exactly my first choice."

Applejack cocked her head aside. "Oh?"

"It was... just convenient," Rainbow said with a shrug. "After all, my friend Fluttershy lives here and—"

"Ya mean to say that yer friends with Fluttershy?!" Applejack gasped, her mind's eye flickering back to the hoedown at the Harvest family's barn. "Well, why didn't ya say so?!"

Rainbow Dash recoiled slightly. "Errr..."

"She's the best dang animal-whisperer I ever did know!" Applejack said. "Why, she single-hoofedly cured our precious little Winona when the poor pup was on death's doorstep!" It occurred to Applejack in mid-sentence that she very well might have been exagerrating, but something about the coincidence of the moment was... energizing her. Remembering her felicitous conversation with the delightful pegasus along the fringes of the hoedown had made that very moment a hundred times more magical. She cleared her voice and calmed her next slew of words slightly. "I'd say that Ponyville's been in a good place ever since she moved into that cottage along the edge of the Everfree Forest."

"Heh... yeah, she'll..." Rainbow sighed. "She'll have that effect on ponies." She gulped. "Brighten up your day and everything."

The casual energy in Rainbow's answer calmed Applejack slightly, so she maintained her own enthusiasm. "Well, shucks, that's just fantastic!" The farm mare grinned. "If both you and her are gal pals, then I'd say yer already a fine feathered friend of mine!" Then, for extra measure, she lightly slapped the mare's shoulder.

"Gah!" Rainbow winced heavily, immediately clutching her shoulder.

"Oh!" Applejack's ears folded beneath her hat. "Oh shoot. I'm so terribly sorry." Her heart sank into a cold abyss. Everything about this mare had signaled to her that she was a tough tomcolt, and in an attempt to relate Applejack may have inadvertently injured her. "I... I didn't realize you were sensitive there."

"Eheh... it's fine." Rainbow cleared her throat, rubbing her coat. "Usually I'm not."

"Land's sakes!" Applejack leaned in, glancing at one of two hoof-sized welts. "Yer bruised somethin' awful..." Her eyes narrowed, studying the locations of the injuries. "Funny. I coulda sworn ya crash-landed on yer belly just a moment ago, not yer shoulder—"

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow flapped her wings hard, taking off with a burst of wind. "I... uhh... I-I gotta go."

"Huh?" Applejack blinked. The whole situation was running out of her grasp. She felt confused, foolish, and more than a little bit guilty. "But... what for? We was just startin' to hit it off." The empty black windows of her house loomed in her peripheral vision. "N-no reason to make like the breeze!"

Rainbow lingered in midair. "Yeah, well... uhm... I've got clouds to kick. Y'know. Weather flying stuff. Very 'pegasus.' Very 'complicated.'"

"Riiiight..." Applejack smirked, not fooled by the pegasus' thick attempts to put on airs. "Y'all seem the speedy type. I bet you could make it anywhere in a jiffy."

"Which is why I gotta jet now, okay? It's been awesome, but I gotta go."

"Hogwash!" Applejack stomped her hoof. "It was my farm that done slammed into ya, wasn't it?! I'd be remiss if I didn't show you the full comforts of Apple Family hospitality!" She trotted briskly into the house. "Y'all wait right here now!"

"Ughhhh..." Rainbow could be heard from directly outside. "Really. I gotta go! What's this about anyways, so we can get it over with?"

"Nothin', sugarcube!" Applejack called back out. Her hooves scampered across the floorboard as she made a beeline for the kitchen and a basket of fresh fruit lying on the edge of the dinner table. "At least... not if yer stomach's hankerin' for nothin'!"

"Uhhh..." Rainbow's voice cracked with noticeable interest. "St-Stomach?"

Applejack chuckled. More and more this pony was resembling a stallion than a mare. It amused her deeply for some reason. "That's the ticket, huh? Reckon it's true what they say about a pegasus and her metabolism."

"Mmmmm..." The sound of flapping wings stopped. Applejack heard four petite hooves landing once again on the porch. "Fiiiine." Rainbow's voice took on the raspy tone of a sarcastic teenager. It was... strangely adorable. "I... like... appreciate it n'stuff. So long as it's nothing dense."

"Heh! Depends on yer definition of 'dense.'" Applejack came out, balancing the basket full of glistening red fruit. "Me, on the other hoof—I fancy usin' the word 'hearty.'"

"Jeee..." Rainbow Dash smirked. "Apples. Who'd a thunk it."

"Buck up and eat up, sugarcube." Applejack winked and shoved the basket her way. "It's on the house." She chortled. "Literally!"

Whoah...

"So... uh..." Rainbow Dash spoke between nibbling down apple bits. Her ruby eyes wandered across the farmstead and the surrounding orchards. "You've been here a long time or...?"

Applejack inhaled, feeling a warmth of pride wash over her. All it took was two blinks, and the lethargy from the previous evening caught up. "All my life," she nevertheless produced, lying back with a lazy slant to her well-toned figure. "Been born to apple buck, live to applebuck, and I'm pretty sure I'll die apple buckin'." She winked at her porch guest. "Figured that was more than obvious by now."

Rainbow looked at the partially devoured apple in her petite hooves. "Well, I guessed that earth ponies were all about farmwork and all, but I didn't wanna... y'know... stereotype." She gulped. "But at least that explains how these apples are so Celestia dang good."

"Heh heh heh..." Applejack nodded. "I was about to say! Usually it leaves ponies speechless!"

"Oh, don't get me wrong." Rainbow looked at her. "They're the best apples I've ever tasted! Just... I... uh... I'm kind of used to the taste of apples."

"They ship a bunch of them to Cloudsdale?"

Rainbow's smile was a stale thing. "Oh, I guess I meant... erm... in bottle form."

Applejack looked the mare over. A pony that small—the stuff had to go straight to her brain and back again. "Well, fancy that." Applejack nevertheless rambled on. "Cuz we here at Sweet Apple Acres brew some of the finest apple cider in these parts."

"You..." Rainbow's voice fluttered with undeniable interest. "...you brew cider from these?"

Applejack was amused, to say the least. The mare had a healthy, athletic look to her limbs. Applejack assumed she didn't allow her life to be ruled by the drink. "You betcha."

Then Rainbow Dash said: "That... that seems criminal."

Applejack blinked. An awkward chuckle: "Heh... well, we put lurve and care into each drop we make. That's how we make enough business to float year after year. That and the zapapples—"

"Wait..." Rainbow's body noticeably jolted. "You guys make zapapple jam?!"

"Once a year!" Applejack nodded. "Only place in Ponyville that's got 'em!"

"But..." Rainbow's forehead adorably furrowed in deep thought. "...but I thought Barnyard Bargains—"

"—gets them from us! Nowhere else!" Applejack grinned. "Whew-wee... boy, if Filthy Rich ever looked elsewhere, I dun rightly know what we'd do."

"That's crazy." Rainbow's voice cracked. With each passing minute, she sounded more and more like a foal struggling to catch up to an adult's body. It was obvious that she was letting her guard down. "I thought this was a nowhere town?"

And again... that venomous, abrasive bluntness.

Applecjak cleared her throat. "Yeah, well, we dun aim to brag... too much." She slowly stood up on the porch, stretching her muscles. "We just look after the farm and we look after each other. The rest—like Harmony—just sorta fills in the grooves, ya reckon?"

A droning voice replied. "Yeah, well, I didn't come here for Harmony. But if produces apples like these..." A smirk... then a bite. "Mrmmmfff... I ain't complainin'... mmmfff..."

Applejack found herself staring at Rainbow's tiny, apple-filled cheeks a little too long. She coughed out of her stupor and chuckled. "Heheheh... well, can't say all of them are for free, but I'm sure we can make an arrangement. If ya think you can find it in yer heart to spare us some extra rain clouds for the plantin' season, then I'll see about setting a bushel or two to the side for you and you alone."

Rainbow swallowed and flung Applejack a bright blue jubilant expression. "Wow..." Glinting teeth in the sunlight. "You'd really do that?"

"Dun see why not, partner." Applejack's tongue lingered, and she finally finished: "We're all in this Ponyville groove together, ain't we?"

"Sweet!" Rainbow grinned. Her tail flicked, filling the air of the porch with delicious color. "This place ain't half bad!"

Applejack felt that warmth yet again, but she tempered it with a sly grin. "If ya dun mind me sayin' so... sounds like you didn't set the bar too dang high."

"Well... I mean... earth pony farming town..."

"Yuh huh." Applejack droned. "What was all that earlier 'bout stereotypin'?"

"Look, let's not pretend," Rainbow grumbled. "This isn't exactly Speedy Pegasus Central. I mean, sure, I followed my friend Fluttershy here... but she doesn't count. Heck, you'd have a greater chance of flying the southern birds home than she would."

"Then just why didja come here?" Applejack narrowed her eyes. "You needed the weather flyin' job that badly?"

"Ehhhh..." Rainbow squirmed where she sat. "That's just a stepping stone."

"To what?"

"Pffft! To honing my skills so I can get noticed by the Wonderbolts, of course!"

"Beg yer pardon?"

The mostly-eaten apple fell to the ground. It shook Applejack out of the moment, and she found herself paling at the ghastly expression melting off of Rainbow's shocked face.

"You..." Rainbow stammered like a heartbroken foal on Hearth's Warming Eve. "...you don't know who the Wonderbolts are?"

Applejack gulped, then squirmed where she sat. She wanted to shrink into her own hat. "Is that a crime?"

...Nelly?

"You seriously never heard of them?!" Rainbow's voice cracked. She looked ready to fly around the world in a single leap. "Ever?!?"

Applejack recoiled slightly, raising a limp hoof. "I... dun suppose they grow corn or potatoes, now do they...?"

"The Wonderbolts are the fastest expert stunt fliers in all of Equestria!" Rainbow Dash barked, and yet as bombastic as her voice got it still had a youthful melody to it. "They're... like... the friggin' most awesome pegasi who ever awesome'd! Well... almost. They haven't inducted me yet." She slicked back her mane. "But... ho ho hoooo... will that be the day!"

"Heh..." Applejack grinned, glad that her "guest" was calming down. "Fancy yerself a showstopper, eh?"

"Hahaha!" Rainbow spun in the air, and Applejack was surprised by the gust of wind the petite pegasus produced. She steadied herself in time to see the mare plopping back down with a devilish smirk. "You can say that again! I was foaled for one purpose! And that's to steal the spotlight and make history! Cuz... somepony's gotta do it, right?"

"Heh... well, I wouldn't know anythang about that spotlight biz..." Applejack tilted the brim of her hat. "Unless yer countin' blue ribbons from the Equestrian Rodeo Games."

"Whozzawhat?" Rainbow blinked. "Blue ribbons? Rodeos?"

It was Applejack's turn to smirk. "Eeyup."

"I... I don't know much..." Rainbow said. "Only I hear that entering those things are super hard. And dangerous. Like... lots of ponies die n'stuff. It's cool."

"Whelp..." Applejack leaned forward. Even from a distance, she could tell she overshadowed the mare. "Yer lookin' at the pony who's won the Best Rodeo Mare Champion Ribbon three years in a row!"

Rainbow's jaw adorably dropped. "No friggin' way..."

"Dun believe me?"

"How do you find the time? I mean... I thought all you did was buck apples!"

"Right. And gets me nice and prepared!" Applejack flexed her fetlock. "Y'all see that?"

Rainbow's eyes traced the length of Applejack's limb. "Uhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"That's from years and years of hard work, every day, doin' chores and the usual grind. And the apple buckin'? Whew! I'd show you my hind legs too but..." She chuckled, reining herself back in with a slight blush. "I dun want ya to lose a head, sugarcube."

"Pffft. As if."

"Point is, this here town ain't nothin' to spit on," Applejack said. "There be loads'a'ponies fixin' to show off their stuff. So if you want competition in yer life to make ya stronger, you've come to the right place!"

"Heh... killer..." Rainbow grinned. "And by the time I've smoked everyone here in the dust, they'll have their work cut out for them!"

Applejack fought the urge to laugh. "Whew! That's some tough talk for a little pony!"

"Heeheehee! Yeah! I—wait." Rainbow squinted. "'Little?'"

Applejack's insides froze, but she rolled onwards. "Well, I didn't wanna use the word 'petite.' Sounds awful condescendin'-like." Again... the urge to laugh. "Besides, them's one of Rarity's words."

"Rarity?"

"Oh boy, best I let you discover on yer own." Applejack chortled, remembering her visit to Sugarcube Corner a few days back. "Y'all want a pony you can smoke in the dust, she's yer first candidate."

"Well, I'm not about to shoot fish in a barrel! So you're a rodeo champion, huh?" Rainbow formed a line in the dirt before the porch with her hoof. "Let's test your mettle."

Applejack blinked. "Er... in what way?"

"A race, that's the way!" Rainbow motioned Applejack over. "To the entrance of Sweaty Oven Acres and back!"

"Sweet Apple Acres," Applejack droned. "And, sorry, sugarcube, but no can do."

"Hah!" Rainbow smirked. "I knew you were all talk! Or, in your case, drawl."

"Huh?" Applejack narrowed her eyes.

"Pffft! Some rodeo champion!" Rainbow Dash snickered. "If you back out from a little race—"

"Oh, if you wanna race, we'll race," Applejack said with a grin. "Just, not today."

"Why the heck not?"

"Well, if you must know, my lil sister shows up from school in the next few minutes. And that's when I gotta start preparin' dinner for her and my brother and Granny Smith. Wouldn't wanna do any of that while sweaty or short on breath. That's why I..." Applejack fidgeted, glancing at the barrels of apples in the distance. "...wasn't doin' no chores when you slam dunked yer skull into my grounds 'bout ten minutes ago."

"Huh..." Rainbow Dash blinked. "Well... uhm..."

"But in the mornin'? Especially the wee hours? Woo!" Applejack grinned, teeth glinting. "You bet yer b-bottom bit I'll race y'all into the ground!"

"Well, how about tomorrow morning, then?"

"Yer on!"

"Shake on it?"

Applejack proceeded without thinking. She spat on her hoof and held it forward.

To her relief, Rainbow mimicked the gesture, and the two clopped their fetlocks together. "Heh..." Rainbow grinned. "I like your style, Applejack. Too bad you got family chores to weigh you down, or else you'd be a regular iron pony for sure!"

"Ya say that as if havin' family is a burden."

"Uhhh..."

"'Cuz y'know what I just said about the daily grind?" Applejack flexed her forelimb again. "Doin' my chores and gettin' stronger day by day? Well, havin' my family is more than half of that. And if it weren't for them, I wouldn't even have a single blue ribbon."

"Yeah... but..." Rainbow cocked her head to the side. "Don't you ever wanna be your own mare? Go out there and... own some chumps n'stuff?"

Applejack shrugged. "I dun rightly see what I got to prove. So long as I stick by the ponies I lurve and care about, then all's right with the world. Heck... I dun even need the ribbons in the end. They're just a darn good bonus. Heh... Dun tell me pegasi in Cloudsdale have no need for family or close relations."

Rainbow's eyes darted to the side. "Uhhh... sure. I mean totally. Who... knows where I'd be without... without my—"

"Well, the way I see it..." Applejack reached forward and rested a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. She did it gently—so as not to agitate a bruise once again. The pegasus' coat was surprisngly velvet-soft to the touch "I made a new friend today, and friends are as good as family, especially in this town." She winked to punctuate the friendly gesture. "So dun yer worry none. If y'all wanted a place to become calmer... even awesome, then ya came to the right place."

Rainbow Dash took a curiously long time to respond. "Eheh... cool." Her ears folded above a calm smile.

Seguedash

"I gotta get up pretty early in the morning." Rainbow trotted down the center orchards of Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack threw a surprised glance at her. She cleared her throat and nodded.

"Cloud kicking business and all," Rainbow Dash explained, kicking the dirt with a foalish gesture.

"Oh yeah?" Applejack was curious what a pegasus considered to be 'early.' "At what time?"

"Eleven."

"Pffft... sure, alright," Applejack was already laughing.

Rainbow Dash squinted at her. "...what?"

Applejack immediately regretted her last few exhales. Avoiding Rainbow's gaze, she wheezed: "Just that one pony's definition of 'early' differs a mite bit from another's, I reckon."

"There are no plows in Cloudsdale," Rainbow droned. "Cuz there's no dirt."

"I dun mean no offense," Applejack said. He chuckled to hide the awkward tremble in her voice. "But just wait 'til they're fetchin ya at six in the mornin'."

"No way..." Rainbow blinked. "Six?"

Applejack smirked. "This is Ponyville, sugarcube. Ponyvilleans are gonna get up early."

"Whew... well..." Rainbow flicked her tail. The sun caught every spectral glint of her mane. "I'm gonna need a morning pick-me-up."

A silly thought entered Applejack's head. It closely resembled a tabby cat sleeping nose-to-tail on a fluffy cloud that dwarfed its petite stature. The cat had a colorful coat...

"Then—" She blurted. "—y'all should stop by Sugarcube Corner before ya head in for yer shift." She pointed towards town as if that would somehow explain it. "They've got plenty of treats and drinks that'll get ya perky as a frog clingin' to a stampedin' bull!"

"Minus the country tongue twisters, I'm guessing," Rainbow said, smirking devilishly.

"Uh..." It was Applejack's turne to be facetious. "I do believe the correct term is 'countryism,' thank ya kindly."

"Heheheh... Sugarcube Corner. Okay. Cool. Thanks."

"Just be on the look out for Pinkie Pie."

"Who?"

"The cafe owners' niece." Applejack smiled. "She's quite a doozy of a personality. But, that bein' said, she'll wake ya up!"

"I... will keep that in mind. And... uhm..."

Rainbow's ears folded. She came across as pensive suddenly.

Applejack locked up in place. "Hmmm?"

Rainbow Dash smiled. It was the most genuine curve of the lips she had given since arriving there. "Thanks for the apples... n'stuff, y'know?"

"Nothin' to it, sugarcube." Applejack gave a wink and a smile. "It's the least we can do for y'all. Ponyville's hospitality is the Apple Family's hospitality, after all."

"Heh. Okay." Wing stretches. A tail flick. Color and a cracking voice and more color. "I'll try not to crash land in any peach orchards by accident next time."

"Heh. Better not." Applejack took her hat off... realized it was too 'handsome' of a gesture—so she used it to wave instead. "Welcome to the neighborhood, darlin'."

"Yeah, I'm feeling it." Rainbow Dash turned to fly off.

Applejack's head went to the first moment she laid eyes on the curious scamp struggling to claw her way out of a fresh crater in the earth. "And Rainbow Dash..."

Rainbow Dash was momentarily anchored in place. She looked back, blinking cutely.

Applejack locked and loaded. "Happy birthday." Placing her hat back on, she turned around and trotted back to the farm house.

She heard a thunderous clap in the air—something too enormous and epic to belong to such a small pony. But, for some reason, Applejack knew better. It wasn't until she was back at the wagons and apple baskets that she allowed herself to look east towards the sky above town.

A swath of clouds had split in two, and she could scarcely make out a bluer-on-blue speck in the distance... trailing with vapors and rocketing through the troposphere at enviable speeds.

Applejack's ears rang. It took her a few seconds to understand why, but from the inhaling of her lungs...

...she realized she had just whistled.

Such a curious thing. She felt like she should have been embarrassed.

She smiled instead... and returned to her work with casual vigor.

Blue

The sun was setting.

Applejack hummed to herself.

It took about half an hour for her to even recognize what the tune was. She realized that it was a song that her Aunt and Uncle Orange loved to play on the phonograph during her short stay in Manehattan as a child.

Applejack didn't realize she actually enjoyed anything from her attempted stay in Manehattan. But—for some reason—pockets of nostalgia bubbled up to the surface with no warning. It was a good thing. A pleasant thing.

It felt as though something silly and innocent had opened the floodgates nestled between her heart and mind. It invigorated her, and—before she knew it—she had packed up the harvested apples and locked them all in the barn with record timing.

She trotted into the farmhouse with a kick in her step... and prepared a hearty meal for the rest of the family.

Big Macintosh gobbled and gobbled up his oats alfredo.

Apple Bloom was similarly entranced by her food.

"I must say, AJ, darlin'..." Granny smiled as she hoofed her fork through her own plate of alfredo. "You really outdid yerself today. Is there some special occasion?"

"Hmmm?" Applejack looked up. Her plate had hardly been touched. She didn't actually feel very hungry for some reason. "Why... can't it always be a special occasion when I make vittles for the ponies that I lurve?"

"Heheheheh..." Granny took a bite and winked across the dinner table. "Mrmmfff... ain't gonna argue with that. Just yer spoilin' us somethin' rotten with these fine eats."

"Mmm-hmmm!" Apple Bloom produced.

"Mrmmmfff—Eeeeyup!"

"Well, have all you like," Applejack said. "Once in a while I'd say we deserve to dig into the good stuff."

"What recipe are ya usin' anyways?" Granny Smith asked.

"Oh... just a little somethin' they served at Friendship Camp back when I was a little filly."

"Wow..." Apple Bloom paused in mid munch. "Didn't you go to that place ages ago?"

"Uh huh..."

"How'd you remember such an old recipe?"

"I..." Applejack blinked. "...guess I always knew it. Just never bothered to cook it before." She glanced aside at the gentle warm candlelight illuminating the rest of the kitchen. "Silly how I've never bothered to put the effort into makin' more tasty stuff..."

"Well... uh..." Apple Bloom smiled bashfully. "Could you cook it more often? If it's n-not too much trouble?"

Big Macintosh nodded voraciously.

"Heheh... alright, y'all." Applejack winked. "Since ya asked so kindly."

"Everythang goin' okay, AJ?" Granny Smith arched an eyebrow. "You seem very chipper today. Not that there's anythang wrong with that, but..." She took another bite and hummed. "Mrmmmfff... last time I saw a family act so flighty they was hauled off to the looney barn!"

"Heh... reckon I'm just fine, Granny..."

"Had yerself a nice day?"

"Oh..." Applejack nodded, smiling into the firelight. "She was very bright."

"Eh what's that?" Granny Smith blinked.

Applejack blinked. "...my day was very bright."

"That's not what you said."

"Err... what did I say?"

"You know what...?" Granny smiled. Teetered. "I plum forgot. These vittles are to die for!" She took another bite. "Mmmmm... did I ever tell you about the summer I cooked for the pegasus defenders of Western Fillydelphia? Boy, was that a summer full of explodin' taste buds..."

As Granny Smith rambled on, Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom listened.

And Applejack...

Applejack poked at her plate of alfredo.

And she smiled.

Applejack sat in front of the mirror of her bedroom, brushing her hair.

She went through the motions quickly... without hesitation.

The mare didn't even bother too look at herself most of the time. Her eyes were wandering the sights and shadows of the reflected bedroom.

Then, once her task was complete, she trotted to bed.

She rolled in, drew the covers over herself...

...and sighed.

But she wasn't frowning.

She wasn't tearing up.

And although a pillow or two was within reach...

...she didn't feel the urge to hug one to her chest.

Instead, she rolled over, gazing into the silver moonlight beyond her window. The sky cast a sheen of blue over the lengths of Sweet Apple Acres, and it couldn't have been more appropriate.

She smiled... at some point she yawned...

And then she slept like a foal.

A Cloudsdalian Yankee in King Ponyville's Court

"Whoah!"

"Wow!"

"Look!"

Applejack's ears tickled to the sound of roaring thunder. She stopped dragging her apple cart through the heart of town and looked up to follow a half-dozen pointing hooves.

Just then, a blue shape flew through the air followed by a prismatic streak of color. Somewhere during the blissful blur, a petite fetlock saluted. Then the body proceeded to barrel-roll through a swath of clouds, dissolving the vapor in a swift blink.

"Woohoo!"

"Hahaha!"

"Cool!"

Several hooves applauded and slapped the fertile ground of Ponyville.

Applejack blinked... then smirked into the afternoon light. She glanced casually at the other ponies gathered nearby. "What's the big hoo-haa about?"

"Didn't you see her?!" a mare stammered.

"It's the newest weather flier!" a stallion added. "Straight out of Cloudsdale!"

"We're getting our skies cleared out in seconds now!" another pony exclaimed. "I mean... wow... isn't she amazing?"

"Heh..." Applejack tilted her hat back. "...reckon yer lookin' for a different A-word."

"Huh?"

Emerald eyes rolled. "Never mind." Humming to herself, Applejack resumed pulling the cart towards the marketplace. The sky thundered again, and she glanced towards the dissipating clouds... summoning another smirk.

"You thhould have theen her!" Twist hopped up and down on the edge of the Ponyville school yard. "No thooner had my thithter thcreamed then thhe thhowed up and thtarted kicking wooden tail!"

"Nooooo waaaaaaay!" Snails gasped.

"She took on a pack of timberwolves?!" Snips' eyes were wide. "All on her own?"

"Oh yeth!" Twist nodded vehemently. "Thhe divebombed them and kicked the twigth out of their thkullth and everything!"

"Whoahhhhhhhhhh..." The other foals gathered around cooed in tandem. "That's so cool!"

Applejack trotted up from the long dirt road. She whistled shrilly. "Come on, Apple Bloom! Let's go home! Lots of chores to do tonight!"

"AJ! AJ!" Apple Bloom scampered over, her schoolbag jostling. She beamed at her older sister. "You've gotta listen to Twist's story!"

"Oh yeah?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. She glanced over at the gaggle of youngsters exiting Cheerilee's school building for the afternoon. "Which one is Twist again? The one with the tiara?"

Apple Bloom ignored her. "Twist and her sister were out playing in the park when timberwolves attacked!"

"Timberwolves, eh?" Applejack smirked. "I think I heard about that. Nice to know that nopony got hurt." She tilted her hat back. "Did they bang a buncha pots and pans like Granny did?"

"No! Even better!" Apple Bloom spun a circle and pumped a hoof. "This real butt-kicker of a pegasus flew in out of nowhere and saved them!" She did martial arts kicks and punches to the air. "Haa! Wham! Hiyaaa!" Another bright grin. "According to Twist, she smashed an entire Timberwolf apart! Even gave her sister a big brain-twig as a memento!"

"Hrmmmmmm..." Applejack rubbed her chin, eyes narrowing. "What's the name of this heroic pegasus...?"

"Rainbow Dash!" Mayor Mare beamed from across her office. "Can you believe it?! Only been in town for a week or two and already Ponyville's better off for it!"

"Errrrrrrrrr... yeah..." Applejack cleared her throat, glancing at the filing cabinets across the way. "May I get that copy of the Apple Certificate now—?"

"And to think!" The Mare slapped a cabinet shut and stared dreamily into the ceiling with sparkling eyes. "I was going to have to cancel the City Council Picnic on account of the oncoming warm front! But then this Rainbow Dash flies off and kicks the clouds clean all on her lonesome!" A shrug. "Granted, she did it off the clock and now the head of the local Weather Flier Commission is complaining to me because of prevailing precipitation relocated to the fringes of the Everfree Forest..."

"Uhhhh—"

"But! It's clear that this Cloudsdalian newcomer has the interests of Ponvyille's heart and soul in mind! Ha ha!" The Mayor spun around with a smile. "You suppose I should give her a key to the city? Or is that too brash?"

"She... certainly seems... ... ...spiffy and all," Applejack said with a smile. "But..." Her eyes narrowed. "Did she really go against the rules of the weather flyin' commission thingy?"

"Yes... ugh..." Amethyst Star rolled her eyes and sipped from a mug of hot cocoa. "Don't even get me started."

Applejack sat casually across the table from her in Sugarcube Corner, nibbling on a doughnut. "Mrmmmfff..." She gulped. "Most ponies do nothin' but praise this new pegasus from Cloudsdale... but yer the first one I heard moanin' and groanin' about her."

Amethyst Star finished her latest sip and swallowed. "Don't get me wrong. She's done lots for the moral of the town. And her heroics in the park the other day was certainly spectacular... not to mention that fire she put out..." Her eyes rolled aside. "... ... ...and that robber she stopped in the marketplace the other day."

Applejack nearly dropped her doughnut. "Land's sakes..."

"But..." Amethyst Star frowned. "She simply has no rulebook but her own! I've already heard several complaints from the weather commission and a few of the local council members. It's like she wants to run the world by her own schedule! And as Ponyville's central event planner... heh..." Amethyst Star smirked and took another sip. "...you can just imagine what kind of a headache it's been for me."

"Actually, I can't..." Applejack winced. "But... I-I guess I believe ya all the same."

"I suppose it was only inevitable," Amethyst Star muttered. "Things are changing. The Summer Sun Celebration is coming to Ponyville soon. Equestria's starting to take notice of us. We can't stand to be the simple sleepy little farm town in the heart of the kingdom forever."

"Nah..." Applejack shrugged. "Reckon not." She sighed, gazing at the empty spaces of the eatery. "Still..." She donated a hopeful smile. "...at least she's doin' her thang in style."

Amethyst Star arched an eyebrow. "How does that make any of it okay?"

"Er... I dunno...?" Applejack shrank away.

"I guess it could be worse..." Amethyst Star shrugged. "At least it's making my job interesting. Heh... just imagine if an egotistical big shot from Canterlot came to replace me." She took a sip. Smiled. "Wouldn't that be horrible?" Another sip. Another smile. "I mean, wouldn't it?"

Trippin' Apples

Light, breathy sobs kissed the air.

"... ... ...?" Applejack turned from the gravestones. She looked across the dusty lengths of Apple Bloom's room.

A little yellow figure lay curled up in bed, huddled under a lunar spotlight. She shook and quivered with every whimpering noise she made.

"Oh, darlin'..." Ears folded, Applejack trotted across the spacious floorboards. She reached in and cradled Apple Bloom. "Shhhhhhh... it's alright..." She nuzzled her little sister dearly. "I'm here. I'll protect you, sugarcube'..."

"Mmmmm..." Apple Bloom squeaked. "But... but..."

"Shhhh..." Applejack tilted the filly's chin up. "It's okay.

Flutterhy blinked up at her, eyes teary. "...but who will protect you?"

Applejack blinked. She stood with Flutterhy along the fringes of the Harvest Family barn. Faceless ponies shifted around in an endless hoedown. "I... I dun understand. I dun need protectin'..."

"Granny's so old," Fluttershy cooed. "And Big Mac is in love."

"Listen, I'm just fine!" Applejack insisted. She turned and looked across Sugarcube Corner. "If anypony needs some rescuin' and huggin', it's—" Her eyes widened.

Silver Shadow stood dead-still. Grinning. An invisible conveyor belt glided her beautiful body icily towards Applejack.

"Oh shoot. Shoot!" Applejack reached out for Fluttershy but grasped nothing but naked air. The eatery turned dark around her, filling with rain. "Pinkie Pie! A plate of wings! Make it quick!"

"Heheheheh..." A voice chuckled raspily above her. "What's the friggin' dealio?"

"I can't fly..." Applejack grimaced, dangling from a hoof as Silver Shadow drifted further and further past her hooves. "I-I can't even get off the rich fertile soil—"

"Are you blind, weirdo?" The voice cracked. "Look around you?"

Applejack looked up, eyes twitching.

Rainbow Dash winked back, dragging her through the clouds with one strong forelimb. "First you say you can't fly, but then you beg to be dropped!"

"Let me go," Applejack sneered. She looked down in the direction the rain was falling. The Apple Family and half the town gathered around the gravestones in dark clothes and darker umbrellas. They drifted into dull gray shadows. "The farm! It's... it's gettin' away!"

"You have to let go."

"Lemme go!" Applejack yanked and yanked from Rainbow's grip. "The farm! I-I'm leavin' the farm!"

"You let go!"

"Huh?" Applejack looked back to where their fetlocks connected. A hat dangled from her foalish fetlock. She placed it over her head, but the large article blinded her. All she could hear were heavy hoofsteps trotting away. "Ma! Pa! Don't go!"

The hoofsteps crunched over leaves and apple cores. The air crackled with laughter.

"Mrmmmfff..." Whimpering, the freckled filly fought to yank the hat off. "Please! Stay! You gotta see what I'm doin' here! It's all good! I haven't left the farm! Honest!" Huffing, puffing, Applejack fought with every ounce of her strength and finally yanked the bedsheet over her head. "Honest! I'm still here—!" Shrunken pupils peered out through a curtain of sweat.

Applejack's bedroom lay dormant and dull around her.

Morning light wafted through the windows, accompanied with a rooster's crow.

"... ... ..." Applejack slumped across the edge of her bed, catching her breath. "... ... ...consarn doughnuts."

One stiff leg after another, she crawled out of bed...

...and off to the bathroom for a cold morning shower.

Because I'm Me

Applejack was pulling a rickety wooden cart into town.

It was full of hardware this time—and not apples—although she wasn't fooling anypony.

The mare hummed to herself, smiling pleasantly under the glistening sun.

It was precisely then that she passed by underneath a flailing shadow.

And it was precisely then that—

"Hey... uh... h-hey...!"

Applejack scuffled to a stop, blinking hard. The cart rattled behind her. With a golden flick of her tail, the mare pivoted about within her reins and looked every which way.

Once again...

"Mrmmfff... hey! Hey... uh... up here... ma'am?"

"Hmmm?" Her emerald eyes blinked. She looked at the branching shadows all around her... and then she looked straight up. It didn't take long for her gaze to find mine. "Huh? What in tarnation?"

I winced upon hearing the tone in her voice. Nevertheless, I continued trembling... continued dangling from the branch that my tiny hooves were clinging to. "Uhm... hi there. Eheheh..." I swallowed a lump down my throat and attempted to play it cool. "I'd ask you 'what's up,' but I-I think we both know it's me. Heheheheh..."

"Lil' apple seed...?" Applejack took off her hat to rub her confused scalp. "What in the hay is a small pony like you doin' up in that tree?"

"It's... uhm..." I gulped and trembled some more. "It's a long story, actually..."

"Are ya hurt, darlin'?"

"Oh no. No. I'm not hurt..." I winced in spite of my bruises. Judging from the squint in her gaze, I could tell she was calling my bluff. "Well, except my pride, I suppose."

"Yer 'pride?' What on earth do you mean...?" Her voice trailed off just as her eyes did. Applejack finally took notice of a second shadow dangling a few branches above me. A lone scooter rested upside down, locked in place between several strained twigs. "Whoah nelly..."

"Wish you could have seen it," I wheezed, all the while repositioning my grip of the branches. "I got some mad air after hitting that ramp. Went a little t-too high and... well..."

"Bust my buttons!" Applejack stammered, plopping her hat back on. "A colt yer age should know better!"

"Filly."

"Oh yeah?" Applejack snapped out of it and frowned. "Yer lucky you didn't land on yer head!"

"Yeah..." I winced.

"Or worse! Skewered yerself on one of them ranches!"

"Yeah... ... ..." I winced harder.

Applejack calmed down, coasting out of mother hen mode. "But... never mind all that. What's yer name, Missy?"

"Uhm..." I shook from my grip of the branch. "Scootaloo."

"Heh heh heh heh!" She instantly chuckled.

I blinked down at her.

"Ahem. Sorry. That's just... cute as the dickens, is all." She stood up straight beneath me. "Well then, Miss Scootaloo... go on and flap yer wings and come down from there. We'll see about gettin' yer scooter in one piece next."

"I... uh..." I clenched my eyes shut. "I can't."

"Hmmm? You can't what?"

"I-I can't come down," I whimpered.

"Why not?"

My teeth clenched.

I heard her shifting beneath me.

I squinted one eye open.

She was studying me curiously from afar. Freckles glistened in the afternoon light. "You... uh... you are a pegasus, right?"

I fought a pained squeak from my lungs. "Could you... c-could you just go fetch a ladder or something?"

"A ladder...?"

"I'm sorry. I'm s-so sorry, just..." I sniffled, shivering harder and harder. "Please... h-help me get down from there and I'll never g-get stuck in a tree ever again. Never ever. I pr-promise."

"Now hold on, Scootaloo..." She waved a hoof as her voice took on a tender, affectionate tone. "It's... everythang's gonna be alright. It's... uh... perfectly natural to be scared of heights."

I whimpered again. Sweat coated my fur. A limb slipped. "Aaaah!" my voice reached a high pitch.

"J-just hang on!" Applejack's voice boomed. "I'm gonna get ya down!" She scampered to the back of her wagon and rummaged through her tools. "That's an honest-to-goodness promise! Just hold on a lil' bit longer!"

"I..." I trembled, feeling my fetlocks slipping one inch at a time. "I-I don't know if I-I c-can!"

"Hold on tight, Scootaloo!" She fumbled with a splintery, beat-up excuse for a ladder and hauled it out of her wagon with her teeth. "Rrnnnngh... g-gonna get ya down, sugarcube—"

"Gnnngh...!" I struggled to maintain my grip of the branch. The wind picked up. I felt myself slipping. "Oh Goddess..." My pupils shrank in their sockets as I felt the humid air beneath me yawning. The earth below looked ravenous, merciless, and distant. "Oh Celestia, I'm so sorry—!"

Just then, the sky thundered... which was a curious thing. For there were no stormclouds.

Fwooooooooosh!

"Hey there, Applejack!" A blue comet streaked by, trailing color. "Hey there, squirrel!" Seconds passed. The living blue throttled back with a thunderclap. "Whoah! Luna poop! What the heck's going on over here?"

"Grnnngh—Rainbow Dash? Is that you?" The farm mare below me grunted, setting up the ladder. "Could ya spot me?! This here's Scootaloo. She's stuck in the tree. I'm tryin' to get her down from—"

"No sweat. Here." A saddlebag flew through the air. "Hold my cider."

Applejack awkwardly caught it. "What the—?"

"Hiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" A blue pegasus beat her chest, twirled about in midair, and flew straight towards the tree trunk beneath me like a missile. WHUDDDD! She drop kicked the bark with all her might.

"Land's sakes—!" Applejack could be heard hollering.

And then...

...nothing but air.

I was falling.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

A streak of color.

FWOOOOOOOSH!

I was caught in midair... swept up in sky-colored hooves.

"Guhhh!" I exhaled my lungs' worth of air, clinging to the warm embrace.

"Heheh... gotta work on that landing, kiddo..." A voice vibrated against my cheek and ear.

"Hrmmmf... huh?" I looked up, dazed and confused.

A pair of ruby eyes came into focus... followed by a flowing banner of spectral-colored mane hair. In the sunlight, she looked like a living explosion in slow motion. That's how I first remembered her... and how I would forevermore. "Scootaloo, was it?" She winked, ruffling my mane as we descended softly to the earth. "You're not hurt or anything, are you?"

I blinked at her. My ears folded back as a dumb smile crossed my lips. "Nah..." An exhale. "I'm... awesome."

Dang It, Scamphorse

"How did you even end up in the tree to begin with, kid?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhh..." I blinked and squirmed and blinked and squirmed and—"I... uhhhhhh... uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"Just take a few breaths!" She plopped me down on the ground and brushed my bangs aside. "Heh... I know it's hard to breathe straight in the presence of awesomeness... but maybe you can start from the ground up. Erm... no pun intended."

"I was... er..." I fiddled my fetlocks together, still trembling. Just a bit. "I-I was trying to do this really cool trick and—"

"Whoah! A cool trick? Sounds cool!"

"Well, it almost was." I gulped and pointed at a dirt mound situated before the tree. "See, the scooter kinda hit that at a wrong angle—"

"Whoahhhhhhhh!" The pegasus spun—gawking—and pointed at my trusty wheels suspended from a lofty branch. "You mean to say that's your scooter?"

"Errrrrr..." I blushed deeply. "Yeah..."

"You got a lot of air there, kid! Hah!" She zipped up to the branch in a blink and grasped the scooter by the handles. "That must have been some speed! Super cool!"

My ears folded. "You r-really think so?"

"Rainbow..." I heard the farm mare mutter in a deep voice behind us.

"Pffftchhyaaaah!" The pegasus smirked, flapping her wings as she gently coasted down to the ground with the scooter dangling in her grasp. "I mean, your body went flying and yet you lived! If that's not cool, then I don't know what is!"

"Heh... y-yeah!" I hopped in place, grinning from ear to ear as my heart pounded. "Super cool!"

"Super killer bodaciously cool!"

"Yeah! What you said!"

"Rainbow... ... ..."

"What's your name, squirt?"

"Uh... Scootaloo. It's Scootaloo."

"Pffft. No it's not."

"Huh?"

"For managing to hit such a crazy ramp at your age?" The mare leaned on the scooter's handles and tapped her fuzzy chin in thought. "You should be knighted! Like... Sir Thundersplosions! The Tumbler!" A devilish grin. "How's that for a friggin' upgrade?" She winked.

"Heeheehee..." I toed the ground between us with my "awesome" hoof. "But I'm a filly."

"Heh. Yeah, sure."

"Well—Sir Thundersplosions the Tumbler it is!" I jumped with fluttering wings and pumped a hoof. "Woohooo!"

"Haaaah! Yeah! That's the spirit, dude!"

"Rainbow Dash!" the mare growled.

"Hmmm?" She looked over. "What is it, Applejack?"

"Whoahhhhhhhhhhh..." My jaw nearly hit the grass as I gawked at the pegasus. "You mean you're Rainbow Dash?"

"Yup!"

"The new cool weather flier from Cloudsdale?!"

"Yup yup!"

"The most awesome pegasus who's been keeping Ponyville's skies clear nonstop for days on end?!"

"Yup yup yup!" Rainbow winked at me again. "Careful, kid. You're about to carve my friggin' epithet!"

"AHEM!" The freckled mare was frowning.

"Wuh oh." Rainbow nimbly spun the scooter towards me. "Time out. Adult time."

"Heeheehee..." I caught the scooter and hugged it towards me, staring at her. "Sure thing, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow slithered her way towards Applejack. "Yoloooooooooooo..." She grinned. "You coughed, madame?"

Applejack whispered hoarsely... perhaps not to be heard by me. She may or may not have succeeded. I wasn't really paying attention to anything with my ears at the time.

"What in tarnation's gotten into you?!" Applejack hissed. Her eyes aflame. "You nearly killed this poor lil' filly!"

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did!" Applejack gestured wildly. "Dive-bombing the dang tree when the poor varmint's danglin' from it like a fragile Hearth's Warming ornament?!?"

"Hey! Lookatyou!" Rainbow Dash gestured with a teeth-glinting grin. "You can metaphor!"

"Stop changin' the subject!" Applejack frowned. "With a wreckless stunt like that you coulda killed the poor thang! You should be ashamed of yerself!"

"Uhhhhh... only I didn't kill her?"

"But you almost—"

"But I didn't." Rainbow's brow furrowed. "Look—I knew that I had her saved the moment I saw her."

"How could anypony possibly be so confident about anythang?"

"I am." She smirked. "Every minute of every day." She smirked again. "What's the matter? Aren't you?"

Applejack blinked. "Uhhhh..." Her ears folded as she avoided Rainbow's gaze. "I... uh..."

"Well, you should be."

Applejack gulped. "I should?" she squeaked.

"Heck yeah, girl! You buck apple trees all day and carry a family on your back!"

"Huh?"

"Heeheehee." Rainbow's giggling voice cracked. "I've been asking around town. You're the backbone of this village. Has anypony ever told you that?"

"Well... reckon most folk are mighty complimentary, but—"

"But nothing! You're as awesome as awesome gets, AJ. You should... y'know... swallow it down with a tall glass of liquid pride. Not the sissy kind, of course. I mean spunk! Eh..." Rainbow waved her hoof from side to side. "You get what I mean, right? Meh. Guess I can't metaphor today."

"Err..."

"Whelp, it's been fun." She reached for her saddlebag of things and threw it back over her flank. "But I can't stick around and entertain you guys much longer. I've got a lot of sleeping-in-tree-branches to do. Very... very important nap-time. You dig?"

"Errrrrrrr..."

Rainbow spun to face me. "Hey squirt! Fuzzier than what!"

I blinked, still dazed. "What?"

"Hah hah hah hah!" Rainbow laughed and ruffled my mane. "We'll work on that. Stay aerodynamic. It suits you." SWOOOOOOSH! She took off like a prismatic rocket.

"Woohooo!" I hopped and waved both forelimbs. "Thanks a million, Rainbow Dash!"

"Words to sleep by!" Rainbow saluted, then spiraled towards the distant horizon. "Zoop!"

"Hey! Hey!" Applejack stomped a hoof beside me. "Get back here, varmint! I ain't done yellin' at ya!"

"In... my... dreams...!" A raspy voice echoed, then faded in the wind.

"Grnnnnngh..." Applejack titled the brim of her hat angrily forward. "Consarn it... who does she think she is?"

"Heee-heeheehee!" I spun to beam at her. "Is she awesome or what?"

Applejack grumbled. "What."

"Awwwww..." I stood on my scooter, reached up, and ruffled a few of her blonde bangs peaking out from the hat. "'We'll work on that.'" More giggles, and I glided away on blurring wheels.

Applejack merely sat in place, forelimbs folded. Her muzzle hung between displeased and confused and... something else.

Cottaging

"She's just... well..." Fluttershy looked up from where she was grooming Winona on the center table of her cottage's living room. "She's just lively is all."

"'Lively?!'" Applejack drawled. She paced before the reading seat and its large adjacent window. "She's a dang varmint is what she is! I wish I knew that from the get-go!"

"Uhm, why?"

"Why???"

Fluttershy nodded, gently brushing the happily-panting Winona. "What does it matter how 'mischievous' Rainbow Dash is? You only met her once."

"It's just that she's makin' such a big impact on the town!" Applejack frowned. She scuffled about to avoid trampling over various tiny critters along the floor to Fluttershy's cottage. "I can already tell that so many ponies look up to her. Especially the little'un's!" She turned to glare at Fluttershy. "When you've got that many ponyfolk believin' in ya, then it's only right that you... you... fl-fly right!"

Fluttershy giggled gently. "And how does somepony 'fly right?'"

"I dunno. Yer a pegasus, Miss Fluttershy! You tell me!"

"Please..." Fluttershy smiled. "You can just call me 'Fluttershy,' Applejack. I already consider you a friend."

"Heh..." Applejack stared out the window. "You mean you consider my brother a friend."

"Errrrrrrr..." Fluttershy squirmed, pausing in the brushing.

Applejack winced. She turned to chuckle lightly in Fluttershy's direction. "Eh heh heh..." She tilted her hat back. "I mean nothin' sore by that."

"Of c-course you don't."

"He's... a heapin' lot happier than he used to be." Applejack gulped. "Girl, I tell you what..."

"Uhm... back to the subject of Rainbow Dash..."

Applejack coughed. "Yes. Please."

"Sure, she might have a... 'feisty' streak about her. But she means well! Honestly! She truly does!"

"Hrmmmmmmmmmmmmm..." Applejack's muzzle scrunched.

"She's a good... good pony, Applejack," Fluttershy said in her smooth tones, smiling. "Sincere. Courageous. And loyal." Her eyes sparkled. "Why... I've never known a more loyal pony in all of Equestria than Rainbow Dash."

"Loyal to herself, ya mean," Applejack grumbled.

Fluttershy giggled. "Okay... so her ego might be slightly huge..."

"'Slightly?'" Applejack paced again. "For a pony that small, I'm surprised her back dun break! Heck... she might break the back of other ponies!" She gestured wildly. "I'm tellin' ya, Fluttershy, yer old Cloudsdale friend nearly threw away the life of a filly just to show up her midair acrobatics!"

"Rainbow Dash wouldn't pull any stunt unless she knew she could do it successfully."

"But t'ain't right!" Applejack sighed. "Not when lives are at stake."

"You should have more confidence in Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said. "She accomplishes what she sets her heart to. I mean—sure—she may not be as cautious and reserved as farm ponies..."

Applejack's eyes flicked. "... ... ...what's that supposed to mean?"

Fluttershy merely continued: "But she has her own way of doing things and it works. That's why it's taking the populace of Ponyville by storm. Anyways, if you feel like Rainbow Dash is outstepping herself, then all you need to do is tell her! Be honest! You're good at being honest." Fluttershy spoke out the side of her muzzle. "That's what Big Macintosh says, anyway."

Applejack ignored that. "So... you think Rainbow's the sort of type to listen to a stern lecture?"

Fluttershy giggled again. "She always listens to mine."

"Really?"

"Oh. You bet. She has no choice. After all, she and I used to..." Fluttershy lingered.

"... ... ...?" Applejack glanced at her sideways.

Fluttershy cleared her throat. "We used t-to be real close friends."

"But... y'all ain't anymore?"

"Oh, we are, I suppose. It's just that... well... Rainbow lives too fast of a life for me to easily catch up. Which is fine. I'm comfortable with my life and she's comfortable with hers. Every other day or so... we meet up and reconnect. Ponyville has allowed us to do that."

"Well then..." Applejack adjusted her hat. "Reckon that sounds mighty fine."

"Yes. It's nice." Fluttershy sighed through a calm smile.

Swallowing a lump down her throat, Applejack gazed out the window. "Maybe I'm... jumping to conclusions..."

"Heehee... you wouldn't be the first pony."

"After all, Rainbow Dash did save that lil' filly's life. Heck... she's saved multiple lives since she came here. In fact... she's done a whole awful lot for the entire town... without even bein' asked!"

"I know."

Applejack smiled warmly. "It just goes to show... sometimes—without expectin' to—you can find the most amazing... most spectacular... most heroic..."

Zip!

"...most childish, hog-washed, hay-brained nincompoop that ever did crawl out of a varmint hole!" Applejack roared, causing the windows of Sugarcube Corner to rattle.

"Haahaahaahaah!" Pinkie Pie laughed her head off, banging the countertop.

"Pinkie Pie!" Applejack scowled. "T'ain't funny! She's a menace! Nothin' short of it!" She gestured at a messy, grass-covered wagon sitting outside the eatery's front door. "That dag-blame'd toilet-mane'd fool coated my wagon wheels in sticky molasses! I didn't realize what was goin' on until I was halfway through town and drawing up a heapin' bunch of Celestia's green earth!"

"Heeheehee..." Pinkie Pie wiped a tear away from her bulging cheeks. "What's the matter, Applejack?! You know that our kind don't shy away from getting a bit muddy from time to time! Snkkkkt—haa haa haa haa!"

"Pinkie!" Applejack stomped her hoof. "It ain't right to pull sick nasty pranks on yer own neighbors! Maybe in Cloudsdale, but sure as hay not in here! And I'm not the only one too!" She huffed, red in the face. "Ponies between the Harvest family farm and Town Hall have been blabberin' and complainin' about how the newest speedster to grace Ponyville's been pullin' nasty jokes on half the townfolk!"

"And are any of them even a fraction as ticked off as you?! Ha ha ha!"

"Well, they should be!" Applejack leaned against the counter, her nostrils flaring. "That ain't the end of it! I hear she's been sleepin' well into the mid-hours of the day when she should be kickin' the sky clear. Also, she spends all her waking time frolicking about in midair... practicin' for some nonsense called 'the Wonderbolts.'"

"Well, she's made some good for time herself, don't you think?" Pinkie beamed. "Besides... whenever the slushie-hits-the-fan, she can get a job done in nineteen seconds flat!" Her eyes crossed. "Wait..."

"That ain't the point!" Applejack growled. "Sure, she's a quick and snappy acrobat! But bein' hard worker means bein' more than that! It means makin' a whole-hearted commitment every hour of every day! It means bein' dependable for yer fellow brothers and sisters! Provin' yer loyalty! Showin' that you care enough about them to not slather their farm equipment with Celestia-forsaken candy sludge!"

"Heeheehee..."

Applejack huffed. "Where'd she get all that molasses anyway?" She tapped her chin in thought. "Shucks... only place in Ponyville I know carries that much is... ... ..." Her eyes lit up.

"Uhhhhhh..." Pinkie Pie danced in place. "I-I just remembered!" She grabbed a random broom and sidestepped away with a nervous grin. "I-I-I gotta go and be loyal and dependable to my fellow brothers and sisters!"

"Pinkie..."

"S-somewhereelseokaybye!" And she zipped off, zippily.

"Pinkie Whatshername Pie! You git back here, ya dang fluffy varmint!" Applejack stomped her hoof. "Burn my galoshes in a barn fire! Yer almost as bad as she is!"

Wagons, Hay!

Applejack squatted in her barn...

Right before her wagon... ...

She was washing the stickiness and grass off the wheel with a sponge and a big bucket of soap... ... ...

... ... ... ...when Big Macintosh strolled in.

Bright amber afternoon light wafted through the doors behind him. He carried a wooden cart full of tools to the far corner... then unhitched himself from the reins.

Applejack exhaled through flaring nostrils. She stole a glance at her older brother through the corner of her eyes. "Mrmmmff..." She exhaled. "Howdy."

He exhaled back. "Eeeeyup."

"Home late." She dunked the sponge into the sudsy bucket once again and went after the wheel from another angle. "Lemme guess... afternoon 'tea' with Fluttershy?"

"Heheheh..." Big Macintosh grinned. "Eeeyup."

Applejack couldn't remain stoic for long. A helpless smirk crossed her lips. "Well, that's just good and fine. I'm glad yer reachin' out to somepony these days. No longer remainin' an apple hermit."

"Eeenope."

"Just be glad that you've chosen Fluttershy to get all cozy with," Applejack muttered... and the permanently resting freckle-face returned. "She's a good pony. A kind pony." She blew out the side of her muzzle. "... ... ...which is the least I can say about her closest companions..."

Silence.

Then...

"You should get out more."

Applejack froze in place. She sat up straight and turned to gawk at her brother.

The stallion remained staring at her. He smiled with confidence... and spoke with it too. "I mean it, AJ. It would do ya some good."

Applejack's green eyes narrowed. "Since when were you lecturin' me on gettin' all sociable with the ponyfolk?"

He merely smiled.

"Eugh..." A rolling of her eyes, and she returned to scrubbing the wagon wheel. "Great. Thanks to Fluttershy... my big brother's gonna be back to the unstoppable chatterbox he once was."

"Heheheh... eenope."

"Well, you've gabbed plenty for one afternoon," Applejack muttered. "And—between you and me—I dun need to bump fetlocks with other ponies unless I absolutely have to." She wrung the sponge out in the hay. "Business'n'such. Otherwise, I'm just fine and dandy with the Apple family. That's the way it's always worked out for me."

"Well maybe things can work out differently. You remember Ma and Pa's motto: 'We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do lurve makin' new friends.' "

"Big Macintosh, I tried followin' Ma and Pa's motto. One afternoon... I went out on a limb and had a nice long talk with a fallen stranger on the front porch. And—guess what? She turned out to be a true blue varmint!"

"Hah hah hah hah!"

"Dun laugh! I mean it! She raises more stink than a hot pig on Sunday! I've got no time for such nonsense! I mean... shoot!" She growled as she re-soaked the sponge and worked on the next wagon wheel. "I've lost an entire afternoon to her daggone filly-prankin' foolishness!"

"Well... maybe if you met more ponies... you'd weed out the varmints from the ample harvest."

"Hrmmmf... like I've got time for that." Applejack smirked over her shoulder. "Are ya gonna follow yer own advice? Or do ya reckon Fluttershy might take offense to you courtin' other wilting violets."

"T'ain't the same, AJ! I'm talkin' about makin' friends..."

"You first."

Big Macintosh rolled his eyes. "Granny's right. You was always the stubborn one."

"When it helps... like gettin' a row of orchards bucked or paintin' the barn roof before it rains..."

"...or stewin' in an old barn all on yer lonesome." Big Mac pointed with an unshorn fetlock. "That's an old wagon anyways. Why all the fuss? Figured we was gonna scrap it for firewood."

"Dang it, Big Mac! Who's side are ya on?!"

"Heh heh heh heh..."

Applejack breathed... breathed... breathed... then sighed. She managed a small smile. "Alright, fine. I'll see about... sparin' some time to get to know a few more ponies... seein' as it's so dag gum important to my health!"

"Eeeeeyup."

"But t'ain't happenin' anytime soon!" Applejack stood up and brushed her hooves clean. "The Summer Sun Celebration is comin' up soon. I'm haulin' in all the distant Apples to help bake a massive feast for the Princess and all the arrivin' dignitaries. We're gonna need yer help too, Big Mac. Hours and horus spent bakin' in the kitchen. Whew-wee! To be perfectly honest... I'm not certain I'm even goin' to find hours in the day for makin' friends!"

The Front Line

Rainbow Dash gave the Lightning Bolt around her neck a polish.

She smiled.

Then she polished it again.

Two things glinted in the afternoon sun: her teeth and the pendant.

"Will ya stop rubbin' it?"

"Pfffft..." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and leaned back lazily against the fence post behind her. "Please. I'm covered all over in fur. What's gonna change?"

Applejack paced to a stop in front of her. The two of them lingered in the center of Ponyville. Much of the townsfolk were still densely gathered around. A few blocks away, the crowd packed tightly around Princess Celestia and her entourage.

"Ya know that we're gonna have to give these up eventually," Applejack said.

"Give them up?" Rainbow chuckled. "Tch. Yeah right. Sounds kinda stupid, don't you think?"

"How do ya figure?"

"I mean..." Rainbow Dash toyed with the jewel around her neck. "...these babies are sorta pointless on their own now, right? Sure, they once were used to zap Nightmare Moon to space'n'crud. But now we're the ones doing the zapping! You gotta admit, Applejack, we've earned these things!"

"They still belong to the royal palace of Canterlot," Applejack said. "And besides... don't we know better by now?" She glanced at her own apple-shaped pendant hanging around her neck. "It was the magic of our friendship—all united in supportin' Twilight Sparkle when she most desperately needed us—that took Nightmare Moon to the woodshed all good'n'proper!"

"Euuuchk..." Rainbow stuck her tongue out. "When you put it that way... makes it all sound super crazy lame."

"I'm just sayin'..." Applejack stood before the lazing mare. "It's not these here Element thingies that made last night possible. It's us."

"Uh huh."

"Soooooo..." Applejack's eyes narrowed, hardened. "We gotsta be on our best behavior now, Rainbow Dash. We're more than just ponyfolk of Ponyville... we're doggone defenders of Equestria!"

"Heh... I was always a pretty awesome hero, AJ. I can call you 'AJ' now, right?"

"Whatever. Only now, sugarcube, yer a representative of Princess Celestia! Just like Twilight Sparkle! We gotta follow her lead and be all virtuous-like! That means no more prankin' the neighbors or bein' an all-around rotten apple!"

"Ughhhh... yes, Mom," Rainbow Dash groaned. "I'll turn in this piece of bling and then fly straight."

"Is that a promise?"

"Sure." Rainbow stifled a yawn and rubbed the inside of her left ear. "Whatever."

Applejack cocked her head to the side. "Pinkie Pie Swear on it?"

Rainbow squinted up at her. "The buck is that?"

Applejack swiftly gestured: "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Rainbow exploded with high-pitched giggles. Her voice cracked, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever seen."

"Yeah... well..." Applejack blushed slightly. "Not my invention."

"Do it again."

"What? No! You do it!"

"Why?"

"Because..." Applejack stomped a hoof. "It's important!"

"AJ. Dudette..." Rainbow shrugged. "We did the important stuff yesterday. Equestria's saved! We're heroes!" She waggled her eyebrows and leaned back against the fence. "Bask in it!"

Applejack gave a long sigh. She turned around three times and squatted down on all fours before the pegasus.

"Stop being so friggin' serious," Rainbow Dash muttered. "That's Twiilght's job."

"I can't help it." Applejack gulped. "Things got a mite bit frightenin' over the past day... two days..." Her brow furrowed. "How long it's been?"

"I dunno. For a night that 'lasted forever,' it was shorter than the usual cider binge."

"The usual what—now?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Forget it. Look... the long and short of it is that we were there for Twilight when she needed us."

"Yeah..." Applejack nodded. "We were, weren't we?"

"Pretty cool how you took charge and got us all to help Twilight out in the nick of time."

Applejack blinked. "Come again?"

"You heard me." Rainbow smirked. "Whenever she wasn't around, it was you taking command. Like you were the friggin' apple general of Ponyville or something."

"Oh. Uhm..." Applejack kneaded the grass between them. "I didn't mean to come across as bossy..."

"Bossy? Pffft. You didn't rub it in our muzzles or nothing," Rainbow Dash said, waving a hoof. "You just... took charge. With confidence." She rested her head back against the fencepost and closed her eyes above a smile. "Pretty friggin' cool."

"Well... uh..." Applejack shrugged. "Guess... I-I'm used to takin' charge around my family. And... family is the best kind of friends you can ever have. So this wasn't... too crazy of a leap, I reckon."

"Hey..." Rainbow stifled a yawn. "...Fluttershy's on board, so count me in."

"Just Fluttershy, huh?"

Rainbow peaked one eye open. "Hmmm?"

Applejack coughed, avoiding Rainbow's gaze.

Silence.

"I'm... sorry."

Applejack's ears twitched. She looked up at the mare. "For what?"

"Mrmmmf..." Rainbow Dash squirmed as she forced herself to say it. "That crud I pulled... y'know... in the Everfree Forest." A grumbling sigh. "When I freaked everypony out on the cliffside and then... uhh... eheh... everypony fell."

"Well..." Applejack rubbed the back of her neck. "...nopony got hurt in the end. And... shucks... I learned all about my connection to Honesty from it!"

"Now you're being too easy on me."

"What?"

Rainbow gestured. "Just days ago, you were busting my chops for being a total clown around town! We both know you're not a softy, Applejack."

"Yeah, well..." Applejack tilted her chin up. "Forgive'n'forget. It's what friends do."

"Oh yeah?"

"I always thought so."

A dry gulp. "So... 'friends,' huh?"

"Well... yeah!" Applejack chuckled. "That's what this whole shebang was about, ya reckon? The Elements are in our charge. We're here for Twilight... for Ponyville... for Equestria... you name it!" She smiled gently. "And you certainly proved yer 'loyalty' when it was most required. Way to go, sugarcube."

"Heh... I was pretty awesome, wasn't I?"

"Twilight seems to think so."

"Well... so long as she... uh... thinks so..."

Silence.

"So... like... are we superheroes now or...?" Rainbow Dash felt her pendant again.

"I'unno..." Applejack shrugged.

"Cuz wouldn't that be totally frickin' awesome?" Rainbow grinned. "Defending Equestria! Fighting off dragons! Hunting down pirates! Looting armories! Putting out fires! The works!"

"Eh... one step at a time, Rainbow."

Rainbow waggled her eyebrows. "Am I going too fast for a simple farm pony."

"No." Applejack frowned. "But you sure are fixin' for a bruisin' if you jump into all this Element business on yer own."

"Hey! I can take care of myself!"

"Reckon so... but this is a team effort, remember? Let's... just let Twilight do the strategizin'. Then... when she most needs us... that'll be the time that we rush in and kick flank. Ya feel me?"

"Yeah. Hey... we're the two besties for that sort of schtick, huh?"

"Hmmm?"

Rainbow Dash gave the air a left and right hook. "Wham! Pow! Smack! When it's time to get down and dirty... it's up to honesty and loyalty!"

"Heh... yeah..." Applejack rubbed the back of her neck with a smug grin. "I suppose we are the true go-getters of the group."

"Cuz... face it... when it's time to wrestle manticores or sea serpents again, who can we rely to rush in and do a headbutt? Rarity?"

"Pfffft... hah hah hah!" Applejack laughed and pounded the earth with her hoof. "No... no we sure can't!"

"So... how 'bout it?" Rainbow Dash shrugged with a devilish smirk. "Rainbow Dash and Applejack... frontliners for here and ever."

"Heh... you bet yer fruity butt."

"Shake on it?"

"And how." Applejack spat on her hoof.

Rainbow spat on hers.

Both mares shook hooves in the glittering sunset over Ponyville.

Filling

Clouds.

Sunset.

Birdsong and the scent of unbucked fruit wafted over the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres.

Winona ran circles in the yard, barking at random while sheep, pigs, and other livestock milled about.

In the distance, Apple Bloom and Twist could be seen trotting leisurely down the road leading to the farm. Giggles lit the air, carried aloft by the wind.

Big Macintosh squatted before the barn, hammering together a new wagon wheel. Granny Smith watched from the farm house's front porch... or at least she did whenever she wasn't fast asleep.

And Applejack...

Her able-bodied hooves crunched over leaves and grass as she trotted up, up, up the hill in the southwest corner of the land.

At long last, she rounded the crest...

...and approached the gravestones.

Shuffling, Applejack came to a stop.

She stared at her parents names... at the dates beneath them.

A warm breath. Crisp clean air. Warm sunlight.

And Applejack smiled.

"Well..."

She took her hat off, slowly squatted down, and let loose a heavy... heavy sigh.

But with a content expression.

"...I think I filled it." She winked. "Just a mite."

Leaves rustled as branches danced in the wind above her.

"So... you wanna hear 'bout 'em?" Applejack kneaded the soft earth beneath her as she settled into place. "Wanna hear about my new... friends?"

Until Y'all Shared Its Magic With Me

"Yaaaargh! I can't decide, I just can't decide. It's important to all of you and I just can't stand to disappoint any of you, and giving me gifts and doing me favors won't make any difference, because you're all my friends and I wanna make you all happy and I can't, I just can't!"

"There's this new pony who's moved into town, Ma and Pa. Her name's Twilight Sparkle. She's the personal magical apprentice to Princess Celestia! Can you believe that? I'd lurve to go into detail sometime about this plum amazin' adventure she took me and a few other girls on... but t'ain't proper durin' a friendly introduction to go prattlin' on about some crazy hijinks. Suffice it to say, the two of us have a lot in common. We could both learn a thang or two about gettin' out of our element. And the first step in that lesson is makin' friends. Twilight's a nice and polite pony, super smart too... but on top of bein' bright she's got this passion for improvin' herself. Reckon I'll do just fine stickin' by her side. And the two of us ain't alone..."

"It's okay Twilight, even you can't be a super smart smarty smart-pants all the time. Come on everypony, there's still a whole lotta party to finish."

"Y'all might be pleased to know that Pinkie Pie and I are just like peas and carrots these days. That's right. The Cake Family's niece. She's a mite bit hard to handle at times, but it's all in good fun. Heheh... even on the most sour, grayest of days ol' Pinkie can find a way to lift yer spirits and make ya feel like a happy lil foal once again. She's workin' over in Sugar Cube Corner for Cup and Carrot these days. But when she's not bakin' or shakin' bits, she's spendin' all her free time throwin' parties for the local ponyfolk... or just tryin' to make every good neighbor on the street laugh for a minute or two per day. It truly is a sight to behold, and I feel proud... proud to be a fellow earth pony by her side... helpin' her feel grounded whether she realizes she needs it or not."

"You may have huge teeth, and sharp scales, and snore smoke, and breathe fire. But you do not—I repeat—you do not! Hurt! My! Friends! You got that?!"

"Then there's Fluttershy. Land's sakes, what an absolute doll. I mean that in every sense of the phrase. You meet a pony like her and you just... wanna hug her somethin' fierce and never let go. She's as precious as precious can be. You'd like her, Ma. In many ways... she's a lot like you. Quiet. Gentle. Soft spoken—except when somethin' important needs to be heard. Then she wields her tongue like a firebrand and no ill-willin' pony could ever suspect what'll hit them. She's a timid lil' thing... but when the time comes to be loyal or trustworthy, Fluttershy's as rock hard as they come. It's ponies like her that make me feel good about this world... that there can be such innocence and goodness in it. She carries herself like Big Mac in many ways... which is mighty fillin'... cuz she and Big Macintosh just might be seein' each other. Heheheheh... that's right! Big Macintosh got stung by the love bug! And y'know what? I couldn't be more in approval. He's a great deal happier thanks to Fluttershy, and so am I. Seems like everywhere ya turn these days there's a new face that yer heart leaps at seein' a smile... or even a flicker of color."

"I think the truth of the matter is that somepony could stand to pay a little more attention to details."

"Rarity's somethin' else. I dun mean that in a bad way... although just a week or two ago I probably did. Heh.... Reckon she took a lot more gettin' used to than the other friends... always goin' on with her hoity-toity tastes in manners and overall... fru-frueyness. It took a while, but now I can honestly say that I respect the mare. There's a strength in beauty... in findin' ways to be prim and proper like a polished stoned against ragin' rapids. Reckon I lost that sense... or never did cultivate it to begin with. Thankfully, we've got Rarity around to remind us what it means to shine. She gives an awful lot just to make us feel good about ourselves... just as she feels good about herself. I truly mean it. She gives. She gives and she gives and she gives and... reckon I feel mighty purdy bein' around her. I may not like it quite like she does... but I appreciate the lengths that she goes through for me... and I appreciate the lengths she goes through for the rest of the girls even more. I can stand a lot to learn from her... and I know she can learn an awful lot from me. That's the way it's supposed to work between Ponyfolk, right?"

"I challenge you to an Iron Pony competition. A series of athletic contests to decide who's the best, once and for all."

"And then there's... well.. there's... ... ... ... ...hmmmmmmm... ... ...then there's this other mare... ... ..."

A Loyal Pain

"A real varmint and a prankster if there ever was one," Applejack said in a huff, settling back where she sat before the tombstones. The sun was almost fully set now, and the curtain of evening began its lazy slink over the hilltops, orchards, and rooftops of the ranch. "The first moment I met her, she seemed pretty well-to-do and all... but I've since learned that she likes to play practical jokes on the local ponyfolk and act like an all around you-know-what-in-the-flank."

She took her hat off and dusted the brim clean.

"And yet... when push comes to shove... she's just about as givin' as Rarity... as supportive as Fluttershy... as giddy as Pinkie Pie... and as smart as Twilight."

Silence.

"Hrmmf..."

A freckled smirk touched Applejack's muzzle.

"Okay. Maybe not the last part for sure. But she ain't no idiot. Just... not so keen on payin' attention to any one thing at one time. She's like a piece of the sky sliced off and just as flighty. Never sticks to one thang. Always floatin' and flitterin' around and tryin' to put a spin on it to legitimize it as 'daredevilish.' Reckon the only thing she's centered on is herself... and it's a tad bit comical how dang prideful she is."

Applejack's eyes dwindled on something in the distance. Her ears flattened slightly.

"It must... it must be somethin' else to... to be that free..." She exhaled. "To not have a single care in the world... save only for yerself."

She gulped. The world around Applejack was darkening... but the two stones in front of her cast the darkest shadows of all. They always did.

"But..."

With a breath, Applejack slapped the hat right back on.

"Dun matter to me none. I've got my own life to live... and responsibilities that I'm mighty glad to tend to."

She smiled softly.

"And—in truth—she ain't that terrible of a varmint. When push comes to shove, turns out she does care about her friends. She just doesn't go the normal or polite routes of showin' it. She just arrives whenever she needs to... without bein' asked sometimes... and of course... of course she somehow always manages to save the day."

Applejack sat up with a warm breath.

"Her name's Rainbow Dash. And she's courageous... inspirin'... remarkable... enviable..."

"Whoah!" Applejack fell on the ground so hard that she almost lost the contestant number fixed to her flank. The ground rumbled as dozens of ponies galloped past her... then cleared off down the trail.

Panting, Applejack struggled back to her hooves. She stared in disbelief past the flutter of falling autumn leaves.

"I don't believe it..." she stammered.

"I know, it's beautiful." Twilight Sparkle casually trotted up, brandishing her own number. "Isn't it?"

"Not the scenery, Twilight!" Applejack flashed her friend an angry scowl. "Rainbow Dash just tripped me!"

"She did not," Twilight firmly said.

"She did too!"

"She did not," Twilight repeated, pointing at a stone. "And if you slowed down and looked where you're going, like me, you'd see that you tripped over a rock!"

"What?!" Applejack's blood ran cold. "Oh, hayseed!" She threw herself into a desperate gallop, running the lengths of Whitetail Woods. "Now I got a lot of ground to make up to catch Rainbow!"

"Just be careful!" Twilight sing-songed from far behind.

Whitetail Wheezing

"Whew-wee!"

"Hah hah... haah haah... phweeeeeeeee..."

"You... huff... reckon that... h-huff... we got all the leaves?"

"I... uhhhhh..." Sweating, Rainbow Dash perched herself atop a rock on the crest of a hill overlooking Whitetail Woods. "I dunno..." The autumn air was crisp and a cold wind blew over the landscape. Rainbow Dash was shivering... only slightly. "I mean, just the two of us...?"

"Well..." Also sweating, Applejack leaned casually against the very same rock and swiped her brow. "...the two of us certainly know how to stomp up a storm!"

"Yeah. But—in the leaves or in each other?"

"Heheh... what I'm sayin' is that we're like forty mares rolled up into one!"

"Oh. Right. Hah."

Applejack squinted in the amber afternoon light of the dying day. "From the looks of it... we've done cleared a mighty thick swath of trees for Her Royal Highness."

"Yeah. I'm sure that Princess Celestia will dig it."

"Point is... we actually did what we was supposed to." Applejack took her hat off and used it to brush her lower legs clear of dirt. "That's somethin' to be proud of, ya think?"

"Yeah..." Rainbow nodded, still panting. "I think."

"But... reckon we missed a few trees?"

"Oh yeah." Rainbow tried pointing, but her fetlock couldn't stay upright. So—she hid the trembling thing away and pointed with the other limb. It rocked visibly, but she managed to hide it with a confident tone in her voice: "Down by the river stream. There's—like—a whole line of trees with leaves still on them. See?"

"Uhm..." Applejack narrowed her emerald eyes. She used a hoof to shade her vision. "Havin' some trouble here, sugarcube..."

"Look for a rust brown color."

"Ohhhhhh! Yeah, I see 'em! Well..." Applejack plopped her hat back on and scuffed the earth beneath her hooves. "Up and at 'em, sugarcube! Let's get these leaves to fall in time for supper—!"

Rainbow's voice squeaked: "No!"

Applejack did a double-take. "No?"

"I mean... uhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash sat on her forelimbs, trembling. "Wh-what's the hurry? There's still sunlight out!"

Applejack blinked, peering. "Hrmmm... can't admit it, huh?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow's ears flattened as beads of sweat formed on her forehead. "Admit what?"

"That yer pooped."

A blink. "Oh! Yeah! Heh... heh heh..." Rainbow Dash fanned herself as she allowed a deep breath or two to funnel out her muzzle. "Pooped! That's for sure! Just call me... uh... Rainbow Corn Kernel Dash!"

"Say what?"

"Er... never mind."

"Hmmmmm..." Applejack bore a freckled smiled. "Well, how 'bout a breather, then?"

"I was about to say that. Er... I mean..." Clearing her throat, Rainbow Dash sat up straight on the rock and struck a cool pose. "...only if you need a breather too."

"Mmmm..." Applejack turned around three times then squatted down on all fours. "Reckon it wouldn't hurt."

"Yeah..." Breathing with relief, Rainbow Dash slumped back down and rested on her hooves again. She swallowed a lump down her throat and remained transfixed on the sparsely leaf'd landscape below.

Silence.

"... ... ...I owe you a big apology, sugarcube."

Rainbow Dash snapped out of a thick gap in comprehension. She blinked down at Applejack. "You do?" Her brow furrowed. "For what?"

"Well, I made a dag-blame'd fool out of myself earlier today, didn't I?"

"You did?" Rainbow Dash's ears perked up. "Oh! Boy! You totally did! Hah hah!"

"... ... ..."

"Erm... ahem... but, like, that's okay and all..."

"No it ain't."

"AJ—"

"How I acted today ain't how Ma and Pa taught me to be. It was downright foalish... not to mention mean and unsportponylike."

"Yeah, well, only because I egged you on."

"Well, I know how important competition is to you, Rainbow."

"Yeah, but friendship is more important... and stuff."

"You really think so?"

"Sure. Why not."

Applejack guffawed, kissing the air with countrified chortles.

Rainbow Dash fidgeted awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, Rainbow... just..." Applejack wiped her eye dry. "You have a very peculiar type of honesty."

"Uhhhhhh... really?"

Applejack winked. "The delivery is so lazy it can't be faked."

"Well... uh... thanks. I guess..."

"See what I mean?"

"Heh..." Rainbow Dash smirked. Flexing her forelimbs, she winced and looked off at Whitetail Woods beneath them. "I'm pretty see-through, aren't I?"

"Shucks, I wouldn't know."

"Oh. Heh. Good."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Errr..." Rainbow's cheeks turned purpler than a few milliseconds before.

"Land's sakes!" Applejack remarked. "You really wore yerself out on that last run! If I'd known you were so tuckered—"

"I'm good."

"Ponyfeathers! How 'bout you rest yer lil' self up here and I'll gallop the last row of trees myself—"

"No!" Rainbow gnashed her teeth. "I'm... I-I'm fine, AJ." She gulped. "For realsies."

"Well, if y'all say so."

"And I do."

"Well, alright."

"Cool."

Silence.

Another cool breeze.

"If it helps... uh..." Rainbow Dash brushed at her bangs with a shaky hoof. "I forgive you... n'stuff."

"It's all good, Rainbow. I forgive you too."

"Let's be honest with ourselves," Rainbow spoke with a crooked smirk. "I was the only jerk here today. You were just having to juggle my lameness."

"Heheheh... well, it was good exercise, I reckon."

"I don't think you crossed any lines, Applejack," Rainbow said. "Nothing to be ashamed of." She grinned. "When you get home, you can tell your folks that you were nothing but a good athlete today."

"Heh... if only that were true," Applejack said, rolling her eyes. "Anyhow, if they were still alive, I know they wouldn't fall for such a fib."

The double-take Rainbow's head produced was almost strong enough to throw her spine out of shape. "AJ...!"

"Hmmm?"

"You... your mom and dad... ... ...?" Her blue lip trembled.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. She blinked. "I... I never told you?" Another blink. "Fluttershy never told you?"

"I... I never bothered to ask." Rainbow gulped. "I-I-I just thought they were always away doing chores or... or carrying apples to other towns or—"

"Take it easy, sugarcube," Applejack said, waving a gentle hoof. "Best that bridge be crossed sooner than later." She bore a placid smile. "My folks have been buried in the fertile earth of Sweet Apple Acres for nearly a decade now."

"Ah jeez, Applejack..." Rainbow's muzzle grimaced visibly. "That... that sucks."

"Heheh... well that's one way of putting it."

"I honestly had no friggin' idea—"

"I put a lot of the sadness behind me, Rainbow," Applejack. "I had to. There's a farm to keep afloat. And—besides..." A warm breath. Applejack stared calmly out onto the woods below. "...it's only the good thangs I remember about them that help me carry on these days."

"Just... you and your grandmother and brother and little sister..." Rainbow Dash gulped. "Alone on that big friggin' farm."

"Heh! But we sure as heck make do! Proud of it too! Boy howdy...!"

"... ... ...huh..." Rainbow slicked her bangs back, blinking into the sunset. "That is pretty cool..."

"While we're at it, how about you, Rainbow?"

"Hmm?"

Applejack shrugged. "I've always wondered, but I never found a polite way to ask. How's yer family?"

Rainbow Dash bit her lip. Her ears folded back.

"... ... ..." Applejack blinked. "Oh shucks, you too, huh?"

"My Mom..." Rainbow pivoted her fetlock from side to side and tongued the inside of her muzzle. "Eeeeuuuuh..." Another breath. "My Dad took care of me most of my life." Her wingtips fluttered slightly, and there was the hint of a curve to her muzzle. "Heh... he was the coolest dad ever."

Applejack gulped. "What... what took 'em?"

"He..." Rainbow bit her lip. She flexed her forelimbs, winced, and rubbed them together. "He died... a few years ago... mmmm... in Cloudsdale." A shudder. "Right around the time I ditched high school." Her brow furrowed. "I think."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "You think?"

"Yeah..."

"Well... was it before or was it after—?"

"Can we talk about something else, please?" Rainbow blurted.

Applejack leaned back. Catching her breath, she chose to stare at the lengths of Whitetail Woods below. "Alrighty, then..."

Foundation

"...so, lemme get this straight..." Applejack rubbed her head and placed her hat back on. "You wanna replace this 'Captain Spitfire' pony?"

"What? No!" Rainbow Dash shook her head. The sun had long set, and a starry night hung overhead. "Well..." A devilish smirk. "...I want her to last long enough for me to impress the heck out of her."

"Heheheh... you've got yer priorities straight."

"And how!" Rainbow winked. "It's high up there on the bucket list, y'know. Flying side by side with Spitfire."

"Also them other Wonderbits. Soundin' and Fleetwood."

"Wonderbolts!" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes—nearly falling off the boulder. "Soarin' and Fleetfoot! Cheese and crackers, Applejack!"

"Heheheh... whoops..." Applejack squirmed slightly where she sat on the hilltop. "Reckon I could stand to be a better listener."

"Eh..." Rainbow shrugged. "At least you get the general idea." She smirked. "Wonderbolts are awesome... but I'm awesomer... and one day I hope to wow the horseshoes off of them and become top flier in all the Equestrian skies!"

"Why settle for that?"

"Buh?" Rainbow Dash blinked.

"Well, dun get me wrong, sugarcube..." Applejack gestured. "But you kinda sorta strike me as a lone wolf. The spotlight's gotta be yers and yers alone. Why aim to be a Wonderbolt? Seems like bein' on such a regimental team wouldn't be your style."

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash blinked again.

"I... uh... I dun mean nothin' bad by that..."

"Nah, it's cool. I get what you mean... sorta..." Rainbow chuckled nervously. "I guess I... wouldn't sit well with a bunch of uniformed ponies... trying to fly in formation, huh?"

"Well, dun get me wrong!" Applejack looked up at her with a bright smile. "You've more than proven yerself to be a real whizz-banger of an Element of Harmony! Why... where would Twilight and the rest of us be if we didn't have Loyalty to depend on?"

"You'd probably be pacing yourselves better," Rainbow muttered. "Especially considering what a total manurebag I've been on days like this."

"Nawwwwww..." Applejack chuckled. "Dun say that! Yer alright..."

"I wanna be more than 'alright,'" Rainbow Dash droned. "I want to be awesome. What's the use in being awesome when you do too many cruddy things to be called 'dependable?'"

"But you are dependable!" Applejack smiled warmly "Just a lil' rough around the edges. But that's good and fine. It's yer flavor... it's what we've learned to expect from you. And—believe me—we ain't disappointed. Heh..."

Silence.

Rainbow Dash contemplated that... and she eventually imploded under a breathy bevy of giggles.

Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"Y'know, AJ... I gotta say..." She folded her forelimbs tighter beneath her. "You really get me."

Applejack's brow furrowed. "I do?"

"I mean—sure—Flutters and I have been around for ages and ages, but—face it—she and I are on completely different wavelengths. Pinkie understands the fine art of pranking, and that's cool and all. Twilight, in the meantime, is a total egghead. And Rarity..." She rolled her eyes. "Tccch..." Another smile. "But you? You and I really gel on the same level. It's different than the other girls."

"Hmmm... well then..." Applejack tilted her hat back. "Reckon that helps a lot."

"Oh yeah?"

"Darn tootin'! It means we can act as the foundation to the rest of the lot! Pinkie's a wildcard, of course, but the rest? Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity? Them's wiltin' violets in one way or another. Good thang we're such good friends with each other... cuz then we can be even stronger friends for them. Is... is that what yer cookin' up in that noggin' of yers? Am I smellin' you right?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash coughed. "Yeah. That's what I meant. Totally."

"Heheheh..." Applejack chuckled. "Ya sure, darlin'? You seem unsure of yourself."

"No. I'm... uh..." Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. "... ... ...I've never been more certain of anything before in my life."

"Oh?" Applejack craned her neck. "And what's that?"

"It's that... it's that..." Rainbow Dash fidgeted beneath the stars. Crickets and autumn winds. At last, after a sigh, she murmured: "..it's that I'm really really glad that we worked out our spot earlier today... and that we're st-still friends."

"Hmmm..." Applejack nodded with a smile. "I'm happy that we're still friends too, Rainbow."

"I know you are, Applejack."

Applejack arched an eyebrow at that.

Rainbow Dash was getting up... slowly. Applejack caught a glint of teeth in the starlight. A grimace? "Mrmmfff... it's super late. I must have ran enough leaves off their branches to fill Ghastly Gorge."

"You weren't alone now, ya hear?"

"Heh... for realsies." Rainbow Dash flapped her wings, levitating off the rock with dangling limbs. "I... uh... should head for home."

"Yer lovely cloud in the sky, right?"

"If you wanna call it that, sure."

"Reckon I should be headed home too."

"You... uh..." Rainbow tongued the inside of her muzzle. "It's a long trot to Sweet Apple Acres, isn't it?"

"Eeyup."

"Do... do you need a pegasus to fly you home?"

"Pffft. Heck, no." Applejack waved a hoof. "I know these parts like the back of my hoof."

"Oh... ... ..."

"Besides, reckon I ain't half as pooped as you look," Applejack said, nevertheless yawning. "Figured I'd take my time. Enjoy the cool weather. Besides..." She smiled into the evening winds. "The Gala's comin' up."

"Oh right."

"I'll be workin' extra hard over the next week or two so that I'll have enough apple treats to sell at the event. Won't have much time for leisurely walks like this."

"That's... kinda sucky."

"Eh. No big deal. I'm sure I'll be rollin' in bits after the dance," Applejack said with a smile and a wink. "I can go on all the cool country walks I like."

"Sounds... snazzy."

"Heheheh... that's yer new word for everything, ain't it?"

"Don't tempt me."

"You take care of yourself, Rainbow."

"Yeah... I will..."

"G'nite!"

"Good night, AJ..."

Seasonfall

"Oh! I love fun things!"

"Then it's settled. We'll have a fashion show starring us."

"So all you have to do is make a different, stunning, original, amazing outfit for one, two, three, four, five—plus yourself—six ponies? And lickety split?"

"Oh A-A-Applejack! You make it sound as if it's going to be hard!"

"Golly, I'd love to see you strut yer stuff in that competition."

"Yeah. I wish you guys could be there. Fluttershy's a great support, but her cheering isn't exactly inspirational."

"Oooh! I'd love to see you make a sonic rainboom! It's like the most coolest thing ever! Even though I've never actually seen it, but I mean come on! It's a sonic rainboom! How not cool could it possibly not be?!"

"Hoh, doggies.! If you can take this bull by the horns, you better be ready for a ride. Come on, ponies! Kick 'em up, kick 'em out! Buck 'em up, buck 'em down!"

"They busted their rumps here! And now they're supposed to bust their rumps again, just 'cuz some buffalo won't stampede someplace else?!"

"Plant the trees somewhere else!"

"Where?! It's the only flatland around these parts!"

"The buffalo had it first!"

"When I got my cutie mark, I saw a rainbow that pointed me home... ... ... I bet it was yer sonic rainboom!"

"There was an explosion I could never explain when I got my cutie mark!"

"This is uncanny! If that explosion didn't happen when it did, I would have blown my entrance exam. Rainbow Dash, I think you helped me earn my cutie mark too!"

Pleasantly humming...

Applejack trotted up to Carousel Boutique, drawing a wagon full of baked apples and supplies. She smiled into the crisp afternoon air. Off in the distance, Canterlot Castle loomed... and the hazy sight of its pristine ramparts sent a happy chill through the farm mare's body.

As she rounded the bend, she spotted a familiar blue figure parked out in front of Rarity's establishment. Rainbow was seated by the mailbox, flexing and fussing with her left fetlock. Her colors glittered in the sunlight.

Applejack smiled even harder. "Howdy, Rainbow Dash!"

"!!!" Rainbow leapt in place, clearly startled. She made up for it with a smug pose, hovering on two strong wings. "Uhhhh... hi yourself, Applejack!"

Applejack beamed. "We ready to get this show on the road?"

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash smoothed her bangs back, flexed her forelimb, and fiddled with her hair some more. "I mean... I-I guess?" She cleared her throat and nodded towards Applejack's wagon. "Whatcha got there? Somehow I doubt Rarity will let you haul all of that to the Gala."

"It's my wares for sellin' at the event," Applejack said with a wink. "I saved up to hire a pegasus delivery crew to carry it to Canterlot ahead of us."

"Oh. Uh... did you call up Banner Company?"

"Who?"

"Never mind..."

Applejack pointed at the saddlebag lying in the grass between Rainbow and the mailbox. "And what have you got in that bag, 'lil Missy?"

"Uhm..." Rainbow Dash hugged herself and sighed. "... ... ...it's my dress."

"Snkkkt—haah haah haah!" Applejack laughed and slapped her knee.

Rainbow frowned. "What?"

"Rarity's gonna kill you for sure once she finds out you shoved it into a measly ol' saddlebag!" Applejack smirked in spite of herself. "Aren't you afraid of it gettin' all creased and such?"

"Could be worse. I could be wearing that other outfit."

"Ya mean the thang with the... thangs attached to the helmet and sandals?"

"Yeesh... we were really rotten to her, weren't we?"

"Yeah, well, reckon it's time to make it up to her." Applejack tilted her hat back. "Not that it should be that hard. She'll have her eyes full of stars tonight... especially if she ever meets her... 'him.'"

"Heh. Yeah... her special little 'him.'"

"A him for her!"

"Her-him!"

Both mares laughed bombastically in the bright air.

Applejack brushed her bangs back and sighed through a smile. "I gotsta admit, Rainbow... this whole 'Gala' thang has got me frazzled somethin' awful. But I sure am glad that yer goin'."

Rainbow Dash's ears twitched. "Really... ... ...?"

"Eeyup. It's just too fru-fruey for my taste. But havin' you around? Somehow it makes it all more bearable. Does that make any sense?"

"No, but I'm not complaining."

"Boy, howdy."

Silence.

"So... uhm..." Rainbow fidgeted, landing on all fours. "When is Rarity going to open the door or whatnot?"

"I dunno, but she'd better hurry. I ain't fixin' to be gussin' myself up for hours on end."

"Ugh. I feel like barfing already."

"Same here!"

And again, both mares laughed in the presence of each other.

"Gonna be one whizzbanger of an evening."

"Y-yeah..." Rainbow rubbed her fetlocks together. "What y-you said."

No Pressure...

"It just ain't enough..."

Applejack paced and paced about on three legs. Her right front forelimb cradled a partially unraveled notepad full of numbers.

"It just ain't enough, Granny! Not even remotely enough!"

"Calm down, AJ," the old mare said, sitting by the fireplace of the Apple Family home. She rocked back and forth in her chair. "Ain't no sense in frettin'—"

"Ain't there?!?" Applejack swiveled to grimace at her. "Granny, there's just no way to not be panickin' about this! There simply isn't enough fruit bein' sold from the last few harvests! We've had to dip into our savings account just to get by these past few months! It wouldn't have been that big of a deal so long as the Cider Season delivered the usual flow of bits, but this year we hit far lower than we had expected! And dun get me started on what it cost to gather all the food for the Apple folks visitin' from abroad to help us set up for the Summer Sun Celebration—"

"Things will come around, Applejack." Granny Smith put on a confident smile. "I just know it—"

"Granny, I mean no direspect, but what could any of us possibly know?! I mean... Filthy Rich! We haven't heard from him in months! And you know as well as I do that he goes silent whenever he's mullin' all somber-like about somethin'... and a stallion like that only frets about bits."

Applejack sighed, retreating limply to a table covered all over with paperwork.

"Granny, I'm tellin' you... things are bad." She gulped. "We might have to sell some of our land—"

"We ain't sellin' no plots of land—"

"We will have to sell some land!" Applejack grumbled. "And if Filthy pulls out of our lifelong agreement... then... th-then we're done for! The orchards... the apples... the whole business!"

"Applejack..."

"We'll have to kiss it all good-bye!"

"We've been through rough patches before," Granny Smith said. She gestured for Applejack to come closer, then rested a wrinkled hoof on her shoulder. "Remember when your Ma and Pa died? We nearly bottomed up—but wasn't meant to be." She smiled softly. "You pulled us out of our funk and the rest of the village lent a hoof. It may have been just short of a miracle, but we salvaged a failed harvest and survived!"

"Lightning dun strike twice, Granny."

"Now Applejack—"

"And—as much as I hate to toot my own horn—what made the difference that harvest was me followin' my own stubbornness until the rest of the family caught on!" Applejack sighed, then squeezed Granny's hoof back. "Granny, I admire how much faith you have, but we're runnin' on the same fumes we've been since Ma and Pa died. And t'ain't no denyin' that our harvests have never been as good and profitable as they was when the two of 'em were still alive."

"Now that's an exagerration."

"Granny, it's not. I've done the math. We're hurtin' somethin' awful... and it's only gotten worse with each passing year. Ponyville's growin' and changin' and... and..." Applejack bit her lip. "... ... ...ponyfolk just don't want to buy apples like they used to. I... I think Filthy Rich knows this... and he's strugglin' over the inevitable. He's strugglin' to find a way to break his contract with us."

"And if that happens, we'll find another business pony to work with—"

"Who? And where? Granny, it's been a long time since you did the business dealin's and negotiations for us. I'm tellin' ya... the next closest pony willin' to bite would be in Fillydelphia. We... we just can't afford to ship our product that far! Not in the state that Ponyville's currently in! If... if this was Canterlot or Trottingham or Manehattan, things would be different. But..."

"It helps that yer thinkin' so cautiously for the whole family, Applejack. But what doesn't help is given into worry and expectin' the worth. You gotta approach the situation one hoof at a time. I'd say work on sellin' the most out of our present stock and—startin' this week—begin lookin' in the marketplace for other ponies willin' to show off our wares. We can find a way out of this. It ain't buck or be bucked. Believe me... I've lived long enough to know there's more than one way to climb out of a hole... even if once in a while I've made the mistake of givin' into despair."

Applejack sighed, staring at the floor of the living room melancholically. "Reckon it sapped the livelihood out of you somethin' awful when Ma and Pa died."

"Darlin', like you wouldn't believe. And yet..." A wrinkled smile. "You pulled us out of it. You pulled us all out."

"Yeah... guess I did, huh?" Applejack took a calm breath. "Well, there just might be a way to climb out of this hole should thangs go south."

"That's my AJ!" Granny Smith rocked back. "Now, what do you have in mind?"

"Well... it's a bit of a risky gamble... but Twilight Sparkle's invited me to a hoity toity dancin' event in Canterlot... and if I play my cards jussssssst right... I might be able to get ponies in the Equestrian Capitol interested in what Sweet Apple Acres has to share... ... ... ..."

...Rarijack'd

"Applejack?"

She stared at a painting of Canterlot hanging off the wall of Carousel Boutique. Her eyes followed the blue sky and clouds... then a gentle arc of a rainbow painted in the corner of the landscape. Her freckled face smiled at that last detail...

"Applejack, darling?" Rarity's voice intensified.

Just like that, the cacophony of blow driers and running water pierced Applejack's eardrums. She woke up to the moment, turning to give Rarity a double-take. "Hmmm?"

"I... I-I don't mean to pry, Applejack, but..." The fashionista nervously tapped her front hooves together while her ears drooped. "...would you kindly mind getting your hair wet so that I may wash and condition it... then work on your hooficure and makeup and—"

"Work on my what now?" Applejack blinked.

"AJ! Dang it, girl!" Rainbow Dash barked from the distance, making Applejack's muscles tighten up. "Move your friggin' flank! Grand Galloping Gala, remember?! If we're late, I won't be able to get there in time to impress the Wonderbolts!"

"Heh... sure thang, y'all..." Applejack winced, smiling sheepishly at Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy in the distance. "Reckon I wanted to wait until the rest of you girls took your turns."

"We've taken our turns, Applejack!" Rarity briefly frowned. "We've taken them and a half! Now." With blue telekinesis, she dragged over a water-filled basin. "This bucket."

"Yeah...?" Applejack craned her neck and peered into it. "What about it?"

Rarity's magic plucked the ribbon out of Applejack's mane.

"What in tarnation—?!" Applejack managed before she felt her blonde hair being yanked over her head and then her entire cranium savagely dunked in the water-filled bucket. "Bllbbllblblblbbb!"

"Fluttershy!" Rarity hollered across the Boutique in mid-apple-pone-wakeboarding. "Fetch me the damnable shampoo!" She began viciously soaking Applejack's mane while Rainbow laughed. "My future marriage to royalty depends on it!"

Excitement

"You don't know the half of it!" Rainbow Dash's voice cracked. She sat atop a couch on folded hooves while Rarity telekinetically wrapped a towel around her wet mane. "Soarin' is... like... the biggest name in all of professional stunt flying! I mean—sure—Spitfire is the leader of the Wonderbolts and only my personal idol. But—still—Soarin' is like the charismatic heart of the group! Always saving ponies from burning buildings and showin up for big fundraiser events..."

"Burning buildings?" Rarity hummed, a bemused smile on her muzzle. "In Canterlot?" She finished tucking Rainbow's rainbow hair under the towel and trotted across the Boutique while the rest of the girls worked on their manes and faces. "I shudder to think!"

"Yeah, well, the town's pretty safe so long as the Wonderbolts are around to keep an eye on things!" Rainbow beamed, teeth glinting in the lights of Rarity's personal salon. "Just like me and Ponyville! Shoot... I've got one heck of a track record to show to them once I sneak my way into the Wonderbolts signing party at the Gala! Hey Rares! You think I can hide a stopwatch inside my dress? I wanna time how long it takes for half the flight team's muzzles to hit the floor!"

"No you most certainly can not take a stopwatch with you, Rainbow Dash!"

"Awwwwwww! Come on! Who heard of a dress without pockets?"

"This is an extravagant occasion! We're not here to beat any clock save for the stroke of midnight!" She cooed, resting before a vanity's mirror. "Which will be when I meet him..."

Applejack scarcely made out the conversation from where she sat with her head positioned beneath a propped-up hair drier. Twilight and Fluttershy sat on either side of her. Nevertheless, the farm mare did her best to prick her ear in a certain pegasus' direction.

"Rarity, I'm not out to woo anypony with my frills! I need to be able to wow the Wonderbolts with my coolness! My panache! That's a fancy word! You should understand!"

"And I made your dress breezie and aerodynamic for that very same reason, but you must exercise restraint, Rainbow Dash! You're going to the Gala as a finely dressed lady! You're not a tank!"

"You're just scared that—once I thrill and impress the Wonderbolts—they're gonna drag me off to Cloudsdale to perform with them twenty-four-seven and you guys won't be seeing me anymore!"

"Ugh! Rainbow..."

"I'm just kidding! You'll still get to see me tons! I mean... I'm sure they'll at least let me take the weekends off from training and flying with them! Especially when I tell them how awesome Ponyville is. Oh, for realsies... I'm totally gonna credit you for the dresses and Twilight for the whole Elements of Harmony thing and Celestia for the opportunity to go on Equestria-saving adventure missions and..."

"My stars..." Twilight peaked her head out from under her hair drier. "Rainbow Dash certainly is excited for this Gala." She smiled across the way at Fluttershy. "At least... a whole lot more than I expected a pony like that to look forward to a formal dance!"

"Hmmmm... I do wish her the best with the Wonderbolts, although..." Fluttershy winced slightly.

Twilight Sparkle stifled a giggle. "I'm pretty sure the Wonderbolts are going to be too busy signing autographs to look too long at Rainbow Dash—much less catch any tricks she might pull off."

"Besides, won't they be busy backing up the royal guard tonight?"

Applejack cleared her throat and spoke above the volume of her hair drier. "Come on, gals... let's not burst Rainbow's bubble. Who knows? Maybe the Wonderbolts will take notice of her like she wants." A freckled smile. "She certainly has a good history with them thanks to the Best Young Fliers' thingy..."

"You do have a point there, AJ," Twilight said. "Honestly... I'll be spending the whole night with Celestia... catching up and... talking about friendship lessons." A soft, contented sigh. "I hope you fill me in later once we all regroup back at my folks' place."

"Oh, we will." Fluttershy nodded. She smiled at Applejack again. "Are you excited for the Gala tonight, Applejack?"

"Me?"

Applejack gazed at Rainbow Dash, who was still chattering a mile a minute while Rarity rolled her eyes and Pinkie Pie toyed with another hair drier.

"I reckon..." Applejack sighed. "I just reckon I've got my work cut out for me today."

"Work?" Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. "Why work? Aren't you going to have fun?"

"Yes... erm..." Applejack rubbed one forelimb with another. "Well..."

Just then, there was a loud, obnoxious knock on the door. It was followed by Spike's muffled voice; "Come on, you guys. Let me in!"

Rainbow Dash swiftly hopped off the couch and trotted towards the door. "Sure thing, Spike."

"Heavens no!" Rarity blocked her path. "We're getting dressed!"

"Dressed?" Applejack left her hair drier to join the other two by the door. "Uh, beg pardon, Rarity, but... uh... we don't normally wear clothes."

Pumpkineers

"So...!" Pinkie Pie bounced bounced as her dress flounced flounced. "What's the plan, Rare-Rare?"

"Pinkie! Do be careful with the bustle!" Rarity snapped, following her friend out the front door of the Boutique. One by one, the gussied mares in formal attire made their way to a parked stagecoach where Spike sat in a tiny dragon tuxedo. "Ahem. I do believe our dear Twilight is in charge of the itinerary..."

"Yoohoo! Equestria to Twi! What's the sitch?!"

"It's simple!" Twilight stammered, pausing momentarily to fuss with her mane-do. "We ride uphill to Canterlot. After entering the city, we follow the procession of traffic heading inward. We arrive at the Royal Palace gates. We enter. We enjoy the festivities over the next four to five hours. Then—after the ceremony is over for the general public—we regroup at the front entrance... take the Stagecoach over to the residential district... then retire for a night cap at my parents' home!"

"Oh, I do hope they don't mind the company," Fluttershy said in a demure tone.

"Are you kiddin'?" Spike cackled from atop the stagecoach. He tightened the reins to the two volunteer stallions hitched at the vehicle's fronts. "Twilight's Mom and Dad love having their little daughter over! I know it's just got to be the same for her friends!"

"Oh, I can't wait for them to meet you all!" Twilight said, her eyes shimmering.

"Also, all the places we get to show you around town!" Spike said, beaming. "For instance—"

"The library!" Twilight's knees went weak. "Heee-eee-eee!"

"Twilight!" Rarity barked again. "Do not drool on your bodice!"

Spike sighed. "Yeah, well, I had a few other ideas besides that—"

"Eugh... come on, guys!" Rainbow Dash pouted, tapping a slipper'd hoof. "Let's just go already!" She shook a leg, fussing with the lengths of her skirt. "Every second we waste is time I could be spending with the Wonderbolts!"

"Erm... I dun mean to be rude or nothin'..." Applejack fidgeted in place. "But I'm with Rainbow on the hurryin' bit. I've got loads of apple treats in the trunk of this here stagecoach that I'm rearin' to sell alongside the front gates to this hoity toity ballroom..."

"Pffft... oh come on, Applejack!" Rainbow rolled her eyes and smirked at the mare. "You can't possibly be planning on spending the entire Gala selling apples, can you?"

"I... uh... uhm..." Applejack coughed aside and waved her hoof. "Say! What was the name of that pale stunt feller you've been jonesin' to meet?"

"Oooh! Soarin'?! Oh gosh... he's so awesome! I can't wait to get his autograph! Hey! Rarity! You think it's okay if I get him to write his name on the hem of my skirt? It's the perfect white background for—"

"Most certainly not! Now get in the blasted chariot!"

"Soarin' doesn't have the best hoofwriting, that's because he injured his main leg years ago after a crash landing that saved the lives of two of his wingmates while performing outside of Seaddle. You see, they didn't know how to compensate for the wet rainy weather there and Soarin' had enough experience and dexterity to..."

Rainbow's rambling voice followed her into the stagecoach. Applejack and Fluttershy stood outside, stifling their giggles.

"Ohhhhhhh Rainbow..." Fluttershy smiled sweetly at Applejack. "You just pull the string and she goes."

"Heh heh heh heh..." Applejack guffawed. "I know, right?" She tilted her hat back and climbed into the stagecoach after Fluttershy.

Spike shut the door and that was that...

Six Girls, One Stagecoach

"Which lesson should I talk to the Princess about first? Fluttershy and the dragon? Orrrrrrrr... that sideshow magic trick pony and the Ursa Minor? What's her name. Oooh! Appleloosa! I'll throw some Appleloosa on her!"

"Heavens no, Twilight! You shan't dare let Appleloosa touch her beautiful royal ears!"

"But... b-but we stopped a race war and stuff!"

"Pinkie, I don't want to think about buffalo right now."

"Heehee! I know! Just the Wonderbolts!"

"Omigosh! Omigosh! Omigosh! I am—like—just hours away from shaking hooves with them! Minutes, even!"

"Heeheehee!"

"Sure do hope it's just 'minutes'. Not sure how much longer I can stand sittin' in this gussy getup."

"Applejack, it is not 'gussy!' I designed it to be breezy and comfortable!"

"And we're so very thankful for these dresses, Rarity. You outdid yourself."

"Oooh! The dresses! Rarity's generosity! I'm sure the Princess would love to hear about that!"

"I'll tell Soarin' all about my stunt flights through Ghastly Gorge! Oh gosh—And wait until Fleetfoot hears that I did the Sonic Rainboom—not once—but twice! Oh, they're gonna be so friggin' thrilled with me! I hope they mop the floor of this place!"

"Perish the thought! I want this entire place—nay—this entire evening sparkling clean! Nothing shall ruin the perfection of the night when he proposes to me."

"Yeah. Uh huh. So, Twilight, where's the best place for sellin' apple fritters in this shindig, ya reckon?"

"Well, if you ask me, out by the front garden gate, Applejack. You'll find plenty of partygoes coming to and from the main Palace entrance."

"The garden?! Oh... oh my... is... is it going to be too terribly populated? I-I'm not sure I could enjoy myself if all the beautiful birds and creatures are frightened by the crowds."

"Well, they'd better not leave their messes all over the verandah! OooOooOooh... the verandah! What an absolutely romantic place for a dance! Oooh! Or maybe a greenhouse! Tell me, Twilight, darling! Is there a greenhouse on the premises?"

"If there is, then all of the glass is gonna shatter once I make the speakers go boom! Woohoo! Can't wait to partahhhhh!"

"Just don't scare the animals away, Pinkie! Could you at least do your music making on the other side of the palace? Erm... I mean... if that's alright with you, I mean."

"If they're all partyin' inside the palace, then maybe I should consider movin' my fine eats into one of the main halls. Twilight, what do you think? I know it's askin' much, but could ya get Celestia to make some room for me and my apple stand in there?"

"I should have brought my map!"

"Your map, darling?"

"Yes! I made a map of all the locations where I learned a friendship lesson! It helps me remember every single detail."

"Ehhh... just tell Her Royal Highness that you learned them all in the bathroom of Sugarcube Corner."

"Rainbow!"

"What?"

"I can't tell the Princess that!"

"Why not?! The bathroom is where I learn all my friendship lessons!"

"Same here, Dashie! Or—wait... I got mixed up with where I make them."

"Oh lawd!"

"Pffft—ha ha ha ha!"

"Oh... my..."

"Ungh... Pinkie..."

"Good one Pinks!"

"High hoof! Haaaa!"

"Nnnnngh... sweet nebulous cherubs of common etiquette, grant me strength..."

Safety? Dance!

"And we'll be the prized couple of the ball!" Rarity cooed, leaning against the window of the rattling coach and cooing. She cradled both fetlocks together as she swayed to the dreamy thought that was devouring her wandering eyes. "The crowd's curiosity concerning this well-dressed mare of fabulosity will morph into envy as they wish they were in my place... or in his place! Or both!"

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie giggled in their seats. Twilight hushed them and turned to face Rarity with a kind, patient smile.

"And we'll go twirling across the dance floor with absolute grace and poise! Yes! I said 'twirling'! For what else are ballgowns made for? Oh... he will be positively enraptured, and his one recourse for taking control of the situation is to spin me around and display his new prize to the entire Gala from all angles! Heeeee..."

"Wowie, Rarity!" Pinkie smiled. "You really like dancing, don't you?"

"Oh Pinkie Pie." Rarity upturned her nose. "It's more than mere dancing! It's... an expression! A romantic confirmation! A statement of beauty, want, desire!"

"And you really would..." Fluttershy's brow furrowed. "...marry this 'him'? Right on the spot?"

"Well, why not, darling?"

"Because he's a total stranger? Sounds scary."

"Not if he's rich enough." Rarity winked back. "That's a kind of fright I can live with!"

"Well, I couldn't," Fluttershy said, steadying her mane and frills as the stagecoach rocked. "But... dancing does sound like fun."

Pinkie Pie winked at her. "Especially if the dancing involved a certain freckled stallion!"

"Hmmmmmmmmmm..." Fluttershy exhaled through a warm smile. Her ears flattened, the tips turning a mild rose. "Yeah..."

"I wouldn't mind a dance or two!" Twilight exclaimed. "Although it might look weird to the rest of the Gala if Princess Celestia and I waltzed together. Heheheh..."

"Uhhhhh..." Rainbow raised an eyebrow from where she sat in the corner of the stagecoach. "...dancing with Princess Celestia would look weird to everypony, Twilight... much less the Gala."

"I mean she's so experienced! All of those centuries of observing countless balls! She must know some moves that would wow the mortals among all of us!"

"Yes, Twilight." Pinkie grinned from ear to ear. "You should definitely talk to Celestia all about the balls she's observed over the centuries!"

"Eugh..." Rarity face-hoofed, careful not to ruin her makeup. "Pinkie..."

"I'll be happy so long as I get to cut a rug with anypony!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Or everypony! Woohooo!"

"Heck yeah!" Rainbow beamed. "I'm with Pinkie! After all, how could a few breakdance moves not impress the Wonderbolts?!"

"Now that's the spirit, Dashie!" Pinkie exclaimed, pointing. "You should totally pop'n'lock it in front of those dudes!"

"Uhhhhhh..." Rainbow grimaced for some reason, hugging her forelimbs to her chest. "Heheheh..." A gulp. "I'm not sure about pop'n'lock..."

"How about you, AJ?" Pinkie looked over. "Who do you look forward to dancing with?"

"... ... ..." The farm mare stared out the window of the moving coach, studying the local landscape and trees and trees and—

"Applejack?" Rarity chimed in.

"Hmmm?" Applejack looked over, blinking.

"Have a dance partner in mind, Applejack?" Twilight asked, smiling.

"Guh..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "You don't have to answer them if you don't want to, AJ."

"Who, me? Dancin'?" Applejack shrugged. "Reckon I won't have the time."

"Huh?" Pinkie cocked her head cutely to the side.

"I'm just here... y'know..." Applejack smiled with a shrug. "...to earn bits for the farm. Plain and simple."

"You mean..." Fluttershy squinted. "No mingling? No snacking? Not even a square dance?"

"What's the point?" Applejack asked.

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow gestured. "... ... ...to have fun?"

"Heh..." Applejack leaned against the window with a casual smirk. "I can have fun later. Tonight's work."

"But you're always working!" Pinkie Pie said with a whining pout. "This is supposed to be the Gala-iest Gala that ever Gala'd!"

"You might not get another shot at this, AJ," Fluttershy said.

"Reckon I know that." Applejack nodded. "Which is why I gotta focus whole heartedly on earnin' the bits."

"Ugh! You're impossible, Applejack!" Rarity exclaimed, tossing her mane. "But—we shan't rain on your parade! Even if it will more sufficiently resemble a flea market."

"Heh... call it what you want. It's what I've been aimin' to do for months," Applejack said. She sat in place for a few more seconds... before sensing a pair of eyes resting on her. She looked across the stagecoach.

Rainbow Dash was staring. "Is this what you really want?"

Applejack gulped. "Uhm..." Her ears twitched. "...yes?"

Silence.

"'Kay then." Rainbow shrugged, glancing out the window herself. "Weird. But whatever works."

"Eeyup." Applejack exhaled with a calm smile. "Works just right for me."

"Mrmmfff..."

"Heheheheh..."

At the Gala

"And that's when she said..." Pinkie grinned across the stagecoach. "...'No, you have chicken mouth!"

"Ooh, that's a new one, Pinkie!" Fluttershy said. She smiled... and then squinted. "I still don't get it, though."

Just then, the stagecoach jostled to a stop.

"What is it?" Rarity momentarily panicked, looking all around. "Did we hit a sinkhole?"

"This far from Fillyda?" Applejack stuck a tongue out. "Pffft! Don't be silly, Rares."

"Mmmmm..." Twilight perked up. "I smell mountain lavender!"

"Ooh!" Pinkie pointed out the window. "And I see castle spires!"

"Then that can only mean..." Fluttershy squirmed in place.

"We're here! Oh, we're here!" Rarity giggled and gasped. "Canterlot! Canterlot! Oh, I am positively going to faint!"

"Hold it in, Rarity—"

"I hear Spike's claws dismounting from the driver's seat," Twilight said, positively bouncing. "This is it, girls! We're here!"

"Well, hot dang!" Applejack tilted her hat back. "Better fetch my apple wares!"

"First thing's first, Applejack!" Pinkie shook her head with a haughty expression. "Song and dance number!"

"Pffft, says you!" Applejack was about to say something else when she noticed a prismatic figure shivering in the corner. She looked over, blinking. "Rainbow?" The farm mare leaned forward. "Y'all alright, sugarcube?"

"Who... me?"

"Yer shiverin' somethin' awful."

"Pffft. Optical illusion, AJ. It's just the jerk in the coach."

"But we ain't movin' no more."

"Oh..." Rainbow's ears flattened. She gulped hard, trembling some more. "Right."

"Hey..." Applejack rested a hoof on her shoulder. "It's gonna be okay. Yer gonna wow the pants off them Wonderbolts, so dun you fret... ya hear?"

"Uhhhh..." Rainbow glanced at Applejack's hoof, then back at the freckled mare. "I... uhm..." An honest smile. "I'm not fretting anymore."

Applejack smiled back. But before she could say anything—

The door opened from the outside. A baby dragon in a tuxedo bowed.

One by one, the mares all stepped gracefully out. Starlight glinted off the fabric of their dresses, and it was enough to steal the breath out of Spike's lungs. "Whoah!" he exclaimed, bouncing back on his tail. "You all look... amazing!"

"I can't believe we're finally here!" Twilight exclaimed as Rainbow Dash hovered excitedly above the group. They collectively gawked at the spires of Canterlot Castle looming before them as more and more ponies in formal attire wandered in towards the heart of the enchanted evening. "With all that we've imagined, the reality of this night is starting to make this... the best night ever!"

Preface

"Howdy, partner! You hungry?"

"As a horse!"

"Well, what ya hankering for? Caramel apple? Apple pie? Apple fritter? Apple fries?"

"I'll take that big apple pie!"

"Well, thank you kindly, sir! Yee-haw! In the first minute, I made my first sale. Just like I expected."

"Hey! I know you. You're the pony that saved us in Cloudsdale and won The Best Flyer Competition.

"Hey yeah! Name's Rainbow Dash."

"Well, Rainbow Dash, looks like your skills saved us again. Oh, well, at least they saved Soarin's apple pie. Wanna come hang out with us?"

"Sure. Why not?

"First minute, first sale!"

"Second..."

"Fourth... ..."

"Sixth... ... ..."

"Sixtieth minute... no sales. This ain't what I expected at all."

"This isn't 'hanging out'..."

"Well, no wonder nopony wants my food! They're fillin' up on those fancy-schmancy vittles. Well, my down-home apples are plenty good enough for this crowd. I'll just dress 'em up a bit and prove it to 'em!"

"This is my chance! Yes!"

"Well, it can't get any worse."

"You're... going to love me!!!"

"Twilight Sparkle! Ha ha! Long time no see."

"Hey, how was the Gala? How was your best night ever?"

Back Where You Began

"Unnnngh..." Pinkie fidgeted in her torn ballgown, crossing and uncrossing her legs. She clenched her teeth to the breaking point. "I can't wait! What's taking her so long?"

"Give her a rest, will ya?" Applejack nibbled on a doughnut, nearly wretched at its offensive lack of apple, and decided to wash her own words down with a sip of coffe. "Ahhh..." She threw a tired freckled smile across the table of Doughnut Joe's cafe where all five mares were gathered. "Whatever Rainbow's up to—it's her business. And I'm sure it's important."

"Applejack, honestly," Rarity chuckled breathily, waving a hoof. "When is a lady's business not important?"

"When Pinkie Pie needs to go, obviously," Fluttershy interjected with a smug little smile.

The whole table laughed... including the butt of the joke.

"Ha ha ha ha ha—owwwwwwieeee..." Pinkie Pie crossed her hooves even harder. "My flower squirter!"

Rarity nearly spat out her coffee. "Pinkie! Honestly!"

"Why did you drink so much anyways?" Fluttershy asked.

"Hey!" Pinkie pouted. "I worked up a sweat trying to get those stuffy wallflowers in the Royal Palace to dance their hoofsies off!" She inhaled. Exhaled. Inhaled. And continued: "Plus... Princess Celestia was here! I get super duper nervous in front of Royalty!"

"You do not," Applejack droned, rolling her eyes.

"Hey! Be easy on her!" Twilight sipped from a mug of coffee, blushed, and adjusted the tattered collar of her gown. "I know the feeling. No pitcher of water—no matter how tall—can help you hold your courage when talking to the Alicorn of the Sun!"

"Boy! She's telling the truth!" Doughnut Joe chuckled from behind the cafe's. "Every time she came here to cram for a semester's final, she'd order three stacks of cinnamon swirl and three whole glasses of water!"

"Grrrrrrr!" Pinkie's eyes were crossing this time. "Everypony. Stop. Saying. Water!"

"Here's a suggestion, Joe." Twilight waved her hoof from the distance. "Install a second restroom!"

"Yeah..." Applejack chuckled. "Or make the two you've got already unisex."

"Ugh..." Rarity rolled her eyes. Hard. "That'll be the day."

"I'm just surprised that we're the only ponies here," Fluttershy murmured.

"Why?" Rarity squinted. "Because we're the only souls with the good notion to abandon that boorish social function?"

"Land's sakes!" Applejack gawked at the fashionista. "You sure did turn a new leaf fast!"

"Tonight was an eye-opening experience for me, Applejack," Rarity droned. She regained some civility with a haughty upturn of her nose. "I'm sure it was the same for all of you as well. Sometimes... yes... sometimes aristocratic engagements aren't nearly what they're cracked up to be."

"Lest we forget, Rarity..." Twilight stared across the table with wagging eyebrows. "We're the prime reason for 'that boorish social function' going downhill."

"Oh goodness..." Fluttershy sank in her seat. "I feel absolutely horrible."

"Well, don't!" Applejack tossed her golden bangs back and smirked. "If you ask me? We made an improvement!"

Rarity lifted her coffee mug. "Hear hear!"

"Hah hah hah..."

"Yes, well..." Twilight sipped again, smiling. "So long as you don't bring any 'improvements' to my mother's and father's place during our stay, starting tonight."

Applejack sat up straight and held a hoof up. "We'll be on our best behavior, sugarcube. Scout's honor." She blinked across the table. "How's the gesture go again, Pinkie Pie? I'm needin' to cash in on yer swear right abouts now."

"Ughhhh!" Pinkie practically fell out of the booth. "I can't stand it anymore!" She galloped straight for the restroom door.

"Therrrrrrrrre she goes!" Donut Joe cooed.

"Oh, Pinkie, please!" Twilight pleaded.

"Don't worry!" Donut chuckled. "I've got a mop!"

"Ay gevalt..." Rarity face-hoofed.

"Dashie Dashie Dashie!” Pinkie’s voice resembled a tornado siren as she stomped and pounded repeatedly on the mare's room door. “How long are you gonna take in there! Cut a mare a break! Pretty pretty pretty pleasies! Ohhhhh-ohhhhhh!”

"Rain dance harder, darlin'!" Applejack called out as Fluttershy giggled ceaselessly. "Maybe the buffalo will stampede all the way from Appleloosa and hoof you a bucket!"

"Oh gosh..." Fluttershy fanned herself, red in the face. "...even Angel didn't have this much trouble being house-trained."

"Haah haah haah!"

ThudThudThudThud! “Dasssssshieeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

“Hold your horses! I… er…” A voice mumbled from within. The door opened to reveal a petite athlete's adorable, scrunching face. "You know what I mean!”

Pinkie practically barreled through her, rushing into the room and slamming the door behind. “ThankyouRainbowtalktoyoulaterkaythanksbye!” Thud!

“Unngh…” Rainbow Dash teetered, fidgeting with her gown. “Sheesh. Either cut back on the sarsaparilla or borrow a water tower for your bladder, girl.” She paused to flex her fetlock for some reason.

“Rainbow! There you are!” Twilight Sparkle called across the cafe, waving. “Come on over! Joe baked us the last batch of doughnuts for the night! We know how much you hate to lose out on the last bite!”

“Quickly, darling!” Rarity’s added melodically. “Before Pinkie returns from her… business and leaves you starving.”

Rainbow wandered over slowly, head bowed and mumbling.

“Don’t you fret none, sugarcube,” Applejack said, pointing at a plate. “I saved ya the blueberry swirls one.”

Rainbow perked up almost immediately. "Oh, AJ! Thank you!" She hopped into a seat across from the farm mare. "Thanks a ton!” She winced briefly, raising her wing to cough off-key... then finally accepted the pastry treat slid towards her.

“There ya go, Rainbow.” Applejack said. Applejack smiled. The night wasn't as young as it used to be, but nopony seemed to mind. Starlight glinted off of Rainbow's perfectly prismatic mane—disheveled as it was—and somehow that reintroduced just the right amount of magic into the room. "You do fancy yerself some blueberry, don’t you?”

The Apple Side

Rainbow stared and stared and stared and—"Oh!" She blinked. "Uh... yeah!" A nervous smile. "Blue as the sky! That means awesome!" As if to prove this, she shoved the doughnut into her muzzle and scarfed a savage canyon through its pastry goodnes. "Mmmmf—shee? Aweshommeffff!"

Applejack chuckled. Rainbow always had a foalish flavor to her dialogue, her actions, her habits—her everything.

Just then, Spike waddled up from the front counter. “I still can’t believe the dude ran out of sprinkles,” he muttered.

“Spiiiike…” Twilight Sparkle merely smiled. “We should be glad he’s staying open as late as he is.”

Fluttershy looked guilty. “You mean, he’s doing it just for us?”

“Mmmm…” Rarity balanced a mug of coffee, smiling towards the "bar." “What a fine, fine gentlecolt,” she said.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Oh come now, Rarity! The very night royalty itself gives you the burn, your heart flutters towards the next dag-blame’d stallion that crosses your eyes!”

“So help me if I can recognize true chivalry when I see it!” Rarity took a dainty sip. “Especially after a night as disastrous as this one, a lady can be forgiven for wanting to seek solace.” She took a moment to savor the taste of her mug's contents. “Hmmm… Could use some more marshmallows.”

Applejack stuck her tongue out. “How ‘bout you dunk yer sassy head?”

“Grrrrr…”

Giggles cascaded around them. Even Spike was smiling.

Eventually, Rainbow's voice cracked, stealing Applejack's attention again: “Say, where did Princess Celestia head off to?”

Twilight explained: “She had some royal duties to take care of at the Castle. Even on the Night of the Grand Galloping Gala, she doesn’t run out of stuff to do.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie had returned, her voice filling the gaps between the echo of a flushing toilet in the distance. “Like sweeping up the mess of the most awesome party everrrr!”

Fluttershy gave her a double-take. "Pinkie Pie? How could you call that a party? All we did was make a terrible, terrible mess of things.”

“You heard the Princess, though!” Pinkie grinned ecstatically. “The Gala is awful every year! This is the first year it was made not-awful! And it was thanks to us! We’re the nicest, funnest, friendliest, most not-awfulest bunch of party-goers in the world!”

“Well…” Twilight smiled. “At least one of us got to have their dream come true tonight. I think.”

“Eh, I think Pinkie’s dreaming every day,” Spike muttered.

“In truth, it wasn’t all that ghastly terrible,” Rarity. “This little after-soiree soiree of ours here is turning out to be truly delightful.”

“Yeah!” Twilight nodded. “And once we go back to my parent’s apartment, we’ll have the whole weekend to ourselves!”

“Oh, Twilight!” Fluttershy beamed, her voice taking on a happy tone that tickled Applejack's heart. "That sounds delightful!”

Applejack smiled. She looked over at Rainbow Dash.

The petite pegasus stared into her half-eaten doughnut. She looked so quiet... so small... so curiously melancholic—

“We’re all gonna have so much fun!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “Fun fun fun fun fun!" Her cheerful motions rocked the table, shaking Applejack out of the moment.

“Pinkie!” Applejack fought the urge to snarl. “Knock it off, will ya!”

“Yes, darling. Share the mirth with all of us.” Rarity wagged her eyebrows. “I have the most outrageously hilarious image in my mind of Prince Blueblood covered in apple sauce. I daresay, I think I’m the only pony in contemporary times to have seen the uncouth side of a two-faced monarch.”

“Oooh! Oooh!” Pinkie leaned across the table. “Spill the beans! Spill ‘em!”

“Well… Before the Gala turned into unmitigated bedlam..."

Rarity proceeded to roll forth a sinfully boring anecdote about Prince Blueblood and a few precious secrets that the fashionista had learned in a small amount of time. Long story short, Applejack had stopped paying attention about the second sentence in. Instead, she glanced across the table once more... gazing upon the limp blue figure in her tattered gown of matching prismatic colors. It had been a heavy, eventful evening—to say the least—but so much of it was hanging off of Rainbow's figure for some reason.

Applejack's eyes narrowed, and she felt a strange tickle in the back of her throat... growing sour.

The table around her erupted in laughter, and Applejack realized that Rarity must have reached the end of her anecdote. So she rolled her eyes and tried a non-sequitur... leaning in to nudge the shoulder of the quiet pegasus in their midst.

“Unnngh… If I’d known that this would have been nothin’ but fussy gabbin’, I would have just trotted on to Twilight’s folks’ house on my lonesome and called it a night.” She gave Rainbow's shoulder a shake, slightly alarmed by how much it jostled the petite pony. "Good thing you’n I are a lot alike, partner, or otherwise I’d feel like I was plum alone here.”

“Uhhh…” Rainbow Dash gulped and rubbed the spot where Applejack had made contact, almost as if it had been bruised. “Yeahhh,” her voice squeaked, again foalishly. “I’d never leave ya hangin’, AJ.”

“Heh..." Applejack tried to hide a hint of concern in her throat. Her eyebrow raised with each syllable she pronounced. "I know ya wouldn’t, sugarcube...”

Rainbow smiled crookedly.

The lump in Applejack's throat sank to somewhere in her chest. She fought it back up by blurting: "Cuz yer the Element of Loyalty, after all.”

Rainbow's ears drooped slightly, followed by her wings.

Applejack was holding her breath at this point. All traces of exhaustion from the 'best night ever' swiftly vanished, replaced by a gnawing worry. "Y’all alright, Rainbow? Is there somethin’ on yer mind?”

“Huh? What? Me?” Rainbow Dash practically hyperventilated. “Eheheheheheh! Nawwwww… I’m… I’m f-f-f-fine, Applejaaaaack.” She cleared her throat.

Applejack stared at her.

Rainbow Dash bit her lip and said, "I… I-I can never hide anything from you, can I, AJ?”

That was the strangest thing said at the table yet. Applejack fought the discomfort by lifting up another doughtnut between them.

“Reckon ya can’t, darlin’.” She smiled. “Come on.” She tossed the treat ceilingward, caught in her maw like a dog, and scarfed it in one bite. “Mmmmf… Out with it.”

Rainbow Dash struggled...

Foalish

...and struggled and struggled and struggled.

"Out with it..." Rainbow repeated. "Yeah. Yeah yeah yeah... uhm..." She sweated noticeably, threatening to stain the collar of her dress. Not that it mattered. The gown Rainbow that was wearing was just the way a pony like her wanted it—nearly ripped off. "I was just… uh… I was just wanting to… uhm…” She gulped. “To ask you something.”

Applejack breathed a bit easier. Rainbow Dash—deep down—wasn't nearly as confident as her exterior made her look. Even this the farm mare could easily tell, but never before did she have the mare opt to open up so easily. Then again, they had been through a hellish night of broken dreams together. And although the whole scenario made Applejack want to snicker, she realized it couldn't have necessarily been the same for everypony—no matter how similar.

So, with the patience of an older sister... she faced Rainbow directly, giving her undivided attention. “Oh?” She asked pleasantly. “What is it, Rainbow?”

Rainbow stared at her. At last, her fuzzy lips opened:

“How’s apple bucking lately?” The inquiry ended as swiftly and awkwardly as it began.

A stab of pain ripped through Applejack's heart. The beautiful night and the mirth of the late-night "dinner" at Doughnut Joe's had almost completely erased the reality of the moment from the farm mare's mind. Namely, she was just reminded of how horribly disastorous this evening had been for drumming up bits for the farm. When all was said and done—and all of the "vacation time" had been spent here in Canterlot—Applejack would still have Sweet Apple Acres to go back to... and a struggling budget to salvage.

But none of that was Rainbow Dash's concern, and it would have been terribly rude—not to mention unprofessional—to burden the poor pegasus with that.

So, smiling, Applejack threw her voice a few octaves into overwrought enthusiasm. “Why, I thought y’all’d never ask!” She stared off into the far corners of the eatery, attempting to stretch the truth just far enough to avoid discrediting her Element. "Why, land’s sakes! We’ve been bustin’ our flanks off over at Sweet Apple Acres!" That was honest. "What, with the bounty that I was needin’ to bake desserts with at the Gala before our regular Apple Buckin’ Season! Whew-wee! It was a lot of tiresome work." That was also true. "I’m pretty sure Granny Smith and Big Macintosh were tossin’ me evil glances by the time we had rounded up the fruits of the southern field by sundown two days ago..." A bit of hyperbole. "...but they all understood that it was for a good cause, even if it all ended up as mushy ballroom floor polish in the end.” Ultimately true. And cold.

“Uh huh. Uh huh.” Rainbow Dash nodded. Her foalish curiosity and enthusiasm had returned...

...so Applejack figured it was worth it. She rambled on about what she rambled on about best—Apples. "But once I get back, I’m gonna be tacklin’ the east and northern fields! I’ll do it on my lonesome too! Why, it’ll give Big Mac and Granny the time off that they deserve! But t’ain’t no biggie. The East and Northern Fields are my favorite. Did you know that the golden delicious apples are the ripest where the sun rises? I swear on my own grave! That’s the stuff we use to make cider on cider season! Why, if it weren’t for that long stretch of land we have in the east, I don’t know how we’d be earnin’ our revenue each year! For instance, back before we bought several plots—"

There was a thumping sound against the tabletop beside her.

"???" Applejack jerked to look at Rainbow.

Rainbow was sitting up straight, propping her chin on a fetlock and smiling innocently.

"You... okay, sugarcube?"

"Of course!" Rainbow squeaked. "Do continue!"

Applejack squinted suspiciously out of one eye. "Alrighty..." A breath. Another. "Ahem." She prattled on. "So we're thinkin' of expanded the plots of land to accomodate for a better cider season next year. It'll be all good and fine so long as we..." A painful wince. She coughed it all. "...we hop a few hurdles in our wake. But nothin' the Apple Family can't handle! At least..." A nervous chuckle. "...nothin' like we haven't handled in the past." That was ultimately true... just not in the way she meant it. "But... uh... you've probably heard enough about apple farmin'."

"No, please go one."

Applejack looked at her dead-on this time. "Ya sure? Reckon it's mighty borin' to a sporty, flyin' type like you."

Rainbow shrugged. "Lemme discover that on my own. I just like hearing you..." Her tongue lingered, and she had to flick it to finish: "...talk about apples!"

"For real?"

"Totes!"

"Hmmmmmmmmm..." Applejack squinted... squinted... and then grinned wide. "Boy howdy! Do I have a few tales to tell!"

"Heeeheeheee!" Rainbow Dash giggled in a purely joyful fashion that reminded Applejack of Apple Bloom at breakfast. "Here we goooooo!"

The Canterlot Accord

"Good night, Joe!" Twilight Sparkle waved back at the front door to the closing eatery. "Thanks for helping us have the best night ever—!" As she did the polite motion with her forelimb, another tattered length of fabric flew loose from her bodice. "Whoops!"

"Hahaha!" Donut Joe laughed as he swiveled the sign from "open" to "close." "Been an absolute pleasure, Twilight Sparkle! So nice seein' you back in town again!"

"Well, I'm afraid it can't last forever!" Twilight called out, her voice echoing off the storefronts and streetlamps of the sleepy market district around her. Most of the establishments had been long closed, but there was a sense of lurching movement in every alley as the capillaries of the city hummed with the souls of those slowly, gradually leaving the Gala at the Palace. A partly cloudy sky hung over the mountain capital, with starlight peering down between the gasp and illuminating the color in every pony's tired eyes. "I'm just here for a short vacation, but I intend to show the girls here every sight I can!"

"Yeah..." Spike yawned, curled sleepily across Fluttershy's back in his little tuxedo. He defeatedly slapped the top-hat over his eyes like a sleeping mask and muttered: "What she said..."

More laughter.

"Thank you for staying open so late for us!" Fluttershy said.

"Yes! You are a gentlecolt and a scholar!" Rarity added.

"And super scrumptious!" Pinkie added. "Oh, the doughnuts too!"

"Stop by again one of these mornings!" Joe said as he backed up through the door. "I'll give you one of my newest recipes!"

"Nighty night!"

"Night!" And he shut the door with a click. Soon after, the lights of the inner eating area dimmed as he proceeded to clean the back counter.

The six mares strolled casually through the streets, chatting and giggling happily under the glow of multiple lampposts—gradually leading them towards the apartment district where Twilight's parents' home resided.

"A shame we had to gallop out of the Gala so accursedly fast," Rarity moped. "We might have been able to procure for ourselves a stagecoach."

"I don't know, Rarity..." Fluttershy clenched her teeth, gazing nervously at both sides of the street. "I think the less ponies from the Gala who see us, the better."

"Don't be silly!" Pinkie Pie bounced-bounced-bounced along. "Didn't you hear Princess Celestia?! We livened the place up! They should be praising us!"

"Ungh!" Rarity rolled her eyes. "Not after all the countless pillars that we knocked out! Or the animal stampede..." She paused to examine a scuff along her fetlock. "... ... ...also, I could very well have sparked a war among the regal houses of Blueblood. Whoops?"

"I wouldn't worry if I were you, Rarity," Twilight said. "My only regret—after all that's happened—is that we tore your beautiful dresses in all the ruckus."

"Ohhhhhhh it's quite alright, darling. They already served their purpose in wowing Hoity Toity. Besides..." She tried to stifle a girlish squeal. "Mmmmmmmmm-gonna do so much shopppppppppping in Canterlot! Canterlot shopping! Ooooh-hooo-hooo!"

Pinkie and Fluttershy squealed and giggled along with her.

Applejack rolled her eyes. At the end of her expression, her gaze fell upon Rainbow Dash—who was hovering beside her on flapping wings. Fuzzy blue legs dangled in the lamplight.

"You really wanna be flyin' all the way to Twilight's place, Rainbow?" Applejack remarked.

"Huh?" Rainbow looked over. "Oh. Pfft. No big deal."

"I only figured that after such a whacky, crazy night... you'd be tuckered out! Why not give them wings of yers a rest?"

"I'm okay, AJ." Rainbow gulped, hovering a little bit higher. "Trust me."

"Well, alright. I'm just worried for ya, sugarcube."

"What? Why?"

"... ... ...didn't I just say—"

"I'm okay! Honest! Really!"

"Okay okay!" Applejack chuckled. "Yer okay! I know you well enough to trust ya when you tell me something."

"Yeah..."

More squeals and giggles emanated from the rest of the group.

Applejack struggled through an agitated sigh. "Whelp... guess I know what the rest of the week is gonna be like."

"Uh huh..." Rainbow nearly wretched. "I'm going to grow a pair of ovaries from this sleepover."

"But... we already have ovaries."

"Er... you know what I mean."

Silence.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash chuckled wickedly.

"Unnngh..." Rainbow pulled at her face muscles as she hovered along. "I swear... we're going to choke on 'girly.'"

"I dun mind gettin' in touch with my soft side every now and then, but reckon it can get a mite bit overblown... especially with Rarity at the helm... in cotton-pickin' Canterlot."

"You think they're gonna force us to go to spas and do facials?"

"Wouldn't doubt it."

"Heh..."

"Heheh..."

The two mares exchanged glances.

"How 'bout this..." Applejack smirked. "You and I? We promise to keep a steady mind... look after the rest of the girls and make sure they dun go hog wild with their fancies."

"Well, hay... we do that all the time as it is, right?"

"Hah. Reckon so."

"So... uh..." Rainbow gulped. "Is this the thing? We're the self-appointed guardians of this week?"

"Darn tootin'! What do ya say, partner?"

"Hah..." Rainbow held a hoof out. "You're on."

Applejack paused to grip and shake it with her fetlock. "You take the air and I'll cover the streets. Deal?"

"Deal."

A beat.

They both trotted firmly forward, protectively taking up the rear of the group.

"Of course... ... ...if they drag us into a boutique, I'm retreating at the first sign of lace," Rainbow Dash said.

"Guh! Ya cheatin' varmint!"

"Hahahaha... ... ...this is either gonna be the best week ever or the worst."

"Guess we'll see." Applejack yawned. "First... a night cap."

"Uh huh..." And then Rainbow Dash was curiously dead silent.

Applejack paid attention to nothing but her own smile, savoring the thought of sleep along the lamp-lit horizon.

Twilight Time

"And Applejinx!" Twilight Velvet trotted across the apartment foyer and wrapped a motherly hoof around Applejack. "So good to meet you! I've heard so much!"

"Uhhhh... eheh..." Applejack patted her shoulder and leaned back with an awkward grin. "Reckon I dunno who this 'Applejinx' lady is, but I'll be glad to thank her for the hug."

"Mother..." Twilight Sparkle hissed, her legs buckling under the tatters of her dress. She side-stepped and murmured into the mare's ear. "It's Applejack. Applejack! Do you even read the letters I send you?"

"Well..." Twilight Velvet smiled coyly as she waved her hoof from side to side. "I skim them here and there, admittedly."

"But remember..." Night Light smiled from where he stood beside the entrance to the household kitchen. "...you do send us veritable dictionaries, little star."

"'Little Star!'" Rarity cooed from where she sat with Fluttershy on the sofa. "Oh, I do adorrrre it!"

"Father, you I understand!" Twilight Sparkle frowned. "But Mom's a writer! You'd think she'd pay attention more!"

"But I do pay attention!" Twilight Velvet stuck her nose up. "This mare here runs the farm at Sweet Apple Acres. She's known all across Central Equestria for her family's delicious cider!"

"Well, how would ya like that?" Applejack tilted her hat back with a gentle smile. "I'm a regular Canterlot Celebrity!'

"We had a sample of this year's harvest." Night Light winked. "Potent stuff. That sort of drink is dangerous in an empty nest."

"Oh my..." Fluttershy cooed, fanning herself.

"Oh, don't be so modest. We're all adults here!" Twilight Velvet waved a hoof. "Getting invited to the Gala..."

"Yeah! And crashing it!" Pinkie Pie bounced in front of a bookcase. "Like adults!"

Rarity and Applejack coughed.

"What?" Pinkie blinked. "Too soon?"

"Well, good to have you all resting and relaxing in our humble abode, then!" Twilight Velvet trotted up to Rainbow Dash. "And this must be the awesome 'Rainbow Blitz' I've heard so much about!"

"Oh! That's me!" Rainbow curtsied in mid-hover. "Rainbow Blitz, at your service!"

Twilight Sparkle muttered into her hoof. "Now I know she's doing this on purpose..."

"Tough love, little star," Night Light said, trotting over to pat his daughter on the back. "Shining Armor's on duty... so all the teasing falls on you."

"Jee..." Twilight Sparkle droned, glaring across the living room. "...lucky me."

"I just know our little soldier will be ecstatic to meet you now that you're visiting in town again," Twilight Velvet said. "Your friends too!" She sighed—the first and only melancholic thing to come out of her graceful muzzle. "If only he wasn't so busy."

"Well, ever since Princess Luna came back, I imagine the security's been extra tight," Rainbow Dash said.

"More like slow to the draw," Night Light said. "For one thousand years, the Royal Palace has only had the funding for a day shift."

"So, as you can imagine, there's a... slow change to the Executive Infrastructre," Twilight Velvet added, standing by her husband. "I'll tell you what—I don't miss my days of working on the Council. It must be murder sitting in on one of those newly-appointed Tax Commissions."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand on that somber note..." Rarity stood up. "Would it be too brash of me to request the surfaces of your lavatory? It's been a long day and a good lady must wash up for a graceful night's sleep."

"By all means!" Twilight Velvet pointed across the apartment. "Everything is all set up for you! With fresh towels as well!"

"We can talk and get to know one another in the morning," Night Light said. "From the looks of things... heheh... seems like quite the eventful evening." He grinned. "I can't wait to hear more."

"You might think twice about that after we start sharing," Twilight Sparkle droned. She trotted over to hug her parents. "Thanks for staying up so late for us. It's a lot to ask for."

"Oh, dear... it's quite alright."

"We're just glad to have you home again."

"We've missed you so much... and it'll be nice to learn all about your adventures in Ponyville!"

"Yeah! Heh... without having to fall asleep through the pages and pages of letters."

"Ughhh... you guys..."

In the meantime, Rarity trotted off for the shower. "You can go right after me, Fluttershy."

"Oh, Rarity... thank you." Fluttershy squirmed on the couch. "I can't remember the last time I felt so..."

"Icky?"

"Mmmhmmm."

"Well, fear not for long, darling! We have some heavenly slumber in store for us! Courtesy of Twilight's family!"

"Yes. They're so nice. And funny..."

Rainbow yawned, drifting towards the far room. "I think I'll just turn in."

Applejack threw her a double-take. "You're gonna what-now?"

"You heard me. I'm pooped."

"You probably smell like poop, sugarcube."

Rainbow's muzzle scrunched. "Excuse me?"

"Take it from me, darlin'..." Applejack smiled. "Collapsin' in a day's worth of sweat might sound relaxin' at first... but not long into the tossin' and turnin' it begins to catch up with you. Now what's the point in a long night's sleep if you're gonna spend it miserable?"

"Pffft. You're one to talk! You toil in the fields so much you're practically two-thirds sweat at any given time!"

"Yeah, but I still take showers whenever I can!"

Rainbow blinked. "You do?"

"Buck yeah, I do! I spend my mornings feedin' hogs! You think I wanna smell like one?"

"Huh..." Rainbow blinked. "I... didn't know you were so big on being... squeaky clean."

"It feels good to feel good." Applejack stuck a tongue out. "Figured that would come naturally to you."

"I guess I just assumed—"

"Just wash up nice and good after Fluttershy, sugarcube. You'll like smellin' good. Celestia knows I'd like you smellin' good even better."

"Heh..." Rainbow Dash flew off to chat with Pinkie Pie. "Sure thing, Mom."

"Darn tootin'," Applejack said.

It was only after five minutes of meandering conversation had passed that the freckled mare realized what Rainbow Dash had called her... and it took another ten minutes of blankly staring into the wall for her to realize that she didn't mind.

Slumper Poop'd

"And you know..." Rarity curled up in her extra-cushioned sleeping bag, fitting a laced mask over her eyes. Her mane was done up in curlers and she spoke eloquently between each yawning breath. "...he was every bit a brutish knave. Ungentlecoltly and rude and downright selfish. However... the final straw that broke the camel's back was when he compared Applejack's carefully baked treats as mere 'peasant food.'"

"Awwwwwww..." Applejack smiled, trotting across Twilight's old bedroom. Glow-in-the-dark stars loomed overhead as she finished drying her mane from a fresh evening shower. "That's mighty nice to hear..."

"A lady can take so many personal insults and weather them based on the versatility of her own divine character. But when a ruffian like Blueblood starts insulting my friends?" Rarity let loose a squeaky "harumph" to end all "harumphs." "Needless to say, I was finding it very hard to contain my burning ire."

"Well..." Twilight giggled from where she snuggled in her old bed above the rest of the girls. "You held out for quite a long time. I wish I could have composed myself far better when I realized that Celestia wasn't going to have any time to talk exclusively to me during the Gala."

"I was the worst," Fluttershy murmured, snuggling up one space away from Rarity in her own sleeping bag. "I let my temper get the best of me." She shivered. "And it led to a stampede that tore through the palace."

"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself, darling!" Rarity shifted out of her sleeping bag. Wearing the mask, she reached out and hugged the nearest pony to her. "There there... you were promised so many things and a delicate soul like yours has every right to be angry over it..."

"I'm not Fluttershyyyyyy!" Pinkie Pie said, humming against Rarity's embrace.

"Oh! Pinkie!" Rarity gasped.

"Heeheehee!" Pinkie nevertheless hugged Rarity back, then winked over her shoulder at Fluttershy. "If you ask me, you made my night, Flutters!"

"I did...?"

"Yeah!" Pinkie stuck a tongue out. "I was struggling all night to get the ponies out jigging on the dance floor! And in one fell swoop you got an entire garden full of wildlife to cut a rug! Woohoo! Go Flutters!"

"Heheheh..." Twilight Sparkle smiled into her pillow. "That's one way of looking at it."

"Uhm..." Fluttershy blushed, running a hoof through her pink bangs. "It certainly is."

"I would have totally kicked Blueblood's butt in front of everyone," Rainbow Dash grumbled.

"Whoah there, sugarcube!" Applejack turned around three times before flopping down onto her saddlebag with a smirk. "Simmer down a bit, why don'tcha?"

"I mean it!" Rainbow Dash looked up with a frown. Her freshly-showered mane made a prismatic sheen from the dim light beside Twilight's bed. "Nopony insults not one by two of my friends like that and gets away with it!"

"Well, as much as I want a royal pain like that to be showed his place..." Rarity shuffled back into her sleeping bag and blindly shimmied under the warm material. "...I'm quite glad you didn't resort to any barbarism at the Gala tonight."

"Rainbow, you knew Blueblood was a jerk before we even left for Doughnut Joe's," Twilight remarked. "Why do you suddenly want to kick his butt now?"

"Because... b-because..." Rainbow suddenly clenched her teeth. She gulped and collapsed back in bed. "Never mind. G'night, girls."

"I am..." Fluttershy teetered, eyelids heavy. "...quite exhausted..."

"She's right, y'all." Applejack laid back on her sleeping bag. "How about we just get some shuteye? Leave the talkin' for tomorrow morning?"

"Pfft! But I wanna chit-chat!" Pinkie Pie grinned. "Isn't that the funnest thing about slumber parties? Cuddling up and snuggling up and chatting it up about this and that and eating popcorn and—" THUD! She spontaneously collapsed like a fuchsia brick and dozed off. "Shhhhhnorrrrrrr..."

Rarity purred sleepily into the air: "The jury has spoken."

"Hmmmmm..." Twilight reached over and turned her bedside light off. "Good night, everypony."

"Good night, Twilight.

"Nini."

"See y'all in the morning."

"Mmmmm."

Applejack scrunched into the soft material of her sleeping bag. She reached over and grasped her hat on the floor... then lingered.

"... ... ..."

She turned and looked across the bedroom.

Rainbow Dash was already still as a stone. The glow-in-the-dark stars pasted on the ceiling cast a pale-green dimness over her, and through the shadows Applejack could see that the petite pegasus was already curled up in an adorable fetal position. She twitched slightly in her sleep, and Applejack could have sworn she saw a brief—albeit undeniable—look of discomfort fluttering across Rainbow's fuzzy muzzle. The fitfulness ended, and the mare was still yet again... sleeping like a foal.

"... ... ..." Applejack swallowed a curious lump down her throat. Then—with silent grace—she placed her hat over her face and surrendered to the throes of exhaustion.

Hold

Quiet, squeaky sobs.

Applejack stared at her face in the granite surface. She tilted her head to the left... then to the right. A hoof reached up and fluffed her mane, exposing the single braid that her mother kept it in, hung over the shoulder. It was black and white, like a photograph. The etched words in the tombstone obscured eyes, smiles, and a melodic voice. Applejack sighed.

The sobs continued, growing more desperate.

Concerned, Applejack lifted her head up from the coffee mug she was staring in. She looked across the hundreds and hundreds of miles that made up the interior to Doughnut Joe's cafe. A familiar wooden door hung off its hinges in the distance.

The crying persisted.

Slowly, Applejack adjusted the folds of her mother's gown and trotted gracefully across the tile. She had to strafe left and right to avoid pairs of Galloping Gala ponies dancing together, twirling. Outside the windows, Ponyville and Canterlot competed for a skyline.

At last, Applejack reached the door, illuminated by Twilight's bedroom nightlight. She pushed it open with a creak, and the sobbing breaths came into full clarity.

"Apple Bloom?" Applejack cooed.

Her little sister laid curled up in her bed, illuminated by a halo of moonlight. She cried into the lengths of the Sweet Apple Acres homestead.

"Oh darlin'..." Applejack trotted the distance between them. She sat on the edge and cradled Apple Bloom in her forelimbs, reaching in to nuzzle her with a freckled smile. "It's okay, sugarcube. Dun you fuss over nothin'..."

"The farm, AJ!" Apple Bloom sobbed, clinging to her. "How are we gonna keep the farm? You didn't get the bits... the bits you promised..."

"And I'm awful sorry about that." Applejack steeled herself up. She hugged Apple Bloom to her chest as she gazed out the window. "Sometimes life just... doesn't work out the way you expect it to." A soft sigh. She ran her hoof through Apple Bloom's mane. "That's why we gotta work hard ourselves... so that we can do more than make dreams come true. We can make a livin'."

"But... but how can you be living, AJ?" Apple Bloom's voice had taken on a scratchier quality.

"...?" Applejack looked down at her little sister.

Rainbow Dash had taken her place, but her ruby eyes were no less full of tears. "All you do is work and help other ponies." Rainbow Dash sniffled. "What do you want for yourself?"

Applejack's lips quivered. She leaned back, shivering suddenly. "I... I want—?"

The bedroom beneath her gave way.

"Guh!" Applejack clung to Rainbow Dash for dear life. The pegasus hovered in place, Applejack's only anchor to the skies. Panicking, Applejack flung a look at the ground below—only to see there was no ground. "Oh gosh... oh Celestia...!"

"When are you going to live, AJ?"

Applejack struggled to keep ahold. Her hooves were slipping through feathers and she felt the void beneath her growing larger. "H-help!" She whimpered, her voice resembling Apple Bloom's with each lilting octave. "Ma! Pa! Please! Help me!"

"Ma and Pa are dead, AJ. When are you going to live?"

The blackness below turned gray as a hundred million granite gravestones flew up at Applejack with the force of a tidal wave. Thunder exploded in her ears, masking the sound of her own shrieks—

Ask Not For Whom the Breakfast Tolls

"Mmmm-mmmmm!" Spike slurped the syrup off his scaley chin with a serpent's tongue. "Best. Pancakes. Ever!" He smiled up from his plate at the kitchen table. "You always know how to work a skillet, Mrs. Twilight's Mom!"

"Ohhhh Spike..." The older mare trotted by in an apron and ruffled his spines. "We really gotta get you to call me something different."

"Uhhhhhhhh..." Spike tapped his chin in thought. "... ... ...'Mrs. Twilight's Dad's Wife?'"

"Well, our little Spikey-Wikey is right about one thing." Rarity smiled, squatting daintily on a stool in her terry cloth bathrobe. "Your breakfast cooking is absolutely divine!"

"Yes." Fluttershy nodded with a soft smile. She still had frayed pink bedhair. "It's so very nice of you to make something for us to eat. I had brought extra change because I figured we would be eating out."

"Nonsense!" Twilight Velvet winked. "Having company makes for pleasant exercise! Besides..." She sighed melodically. "It gets awfully boring with three of our children no longer living here."

"Mmmmmm!" Pinkie Pie looked up from licking a plate clean. "Wait a minute. 'Three?'"

Twilight Sparkle wandered over to the table with a bowl of cereal. "She's including Spike." She reached over to nudge the little dragon with a smile. "He was always like the youngest of us, in a way."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh!" Pinkie Pie said. "Whatever!" And she resumed slathering her tongue across the plate. "Mmmmmm!"

"Twilight, darling?" The matriarch in the room squinted over the still-steaming kitchen counter. "Aren't you going to have some of my pancakes?"

"I figured I would had some cereal. This way the rest of my friends could enjoy your cooking more!" Twilight Sparkle grinned.

Twilight Velvet folded her forelimbs with a knowing smirk. "You're planning to do a lot of trotting around town lately, aren't you?"

Twilight Sparkle's ears drooped as she instantly blushed. "Uhhhhhh..."

"Why?" Rarity craned her neck. "What does that mean?"

Twilight Velvet gave a motherly chuckle. "Our little star has always had a hard time digesting pancakes and syrup while on the go."

"Thank you, Mother—"

"I assume you're going to a museum or two later? Be sure to make lotssss of restroom stops."

"Okay. Thank you, Mother."

Rarity and Fluttershy giggled.

"It's... n-not just that!" Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat, red in the face. "I-I was kinda looking forward to Filly Loops."

"Uh huh..."

"B-besides! Rainbow Dash is having some!" Twilight gestured across the table. "See? I'm being economical!"

"Is that what you're learning over in Ponyville?"

Twilight Spakle levitated the bowl to her lips and began spooning cereal into her gullet.

"Hmmmm. That's what I thought." Twilight Velvet nevertheless smiled, levitated a fresh stack of pancakes, and passed by the table. "Pinkie Pie? Would you like some more?"

Thud! Pinkie placed her saliva-stained plate on the table's edge and grinned a crescent moon. "I thought you'd never ask!"

Twilight Velvet chuckled and placed some more onto Pinkie's plate.

In the meantime, Applejack stumbled out of the bedroom on three legs and limped across the lush apartment. She blinked and teetered in the bright sunlight coming through the windows. She raised one hoof and rubbed her fuzzy freckles. "Mrmmmfff... mighty sorry for sleepin' in, y'all."

"Heya, Applejack!" Pinkie grinned and—WHUD—plunged her skull back into her pancakes.

"Good morning, darliiiing!" Rarity sang.

"Good morning, Applejack," Fluttershy added softly. She smiled. "So nice of you to join us."

"Mmmmm... a shame I didn't join y'all sooner..." She shuffled up and slumped onto a stool. "I'd have helped with fixin' the mornin' vittles." She yawned and gestured with one hoof. "I've got a crate full of apple treats sittin' in y'all's storage room."

"That's very nice of you to offer, Applejack, but it's all well and good that you got to rest in for a change." Twilight Velvet smiled. "Twilight's always writing us about how hard a worker you are. I'd say it's about time you enjoyed a true vacation."

"Well, that's mighty hospitable of you. But I'd lurve to show my appreciation all the same."

"Well, maybe next morning or the morning after." Twilight Velvet nodded. "I'd absolutely love to see how you make an apple fritter."

Applejack bore a tired smile. "I'd be delighted."

"Now, would you like some pancakes?"

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie raised her head just long enough to speak, much less breathe. "A shortstack for Applejack!" WHUD!

"I... uh..." Applejack teetered where she sat. "Just lemme sit here for a bit, if that's alright with you."

"Absolutely!" Twilight Velvet ducked back behind the kitchen counter. "Take your time, dear!"

"Mrmmmfff..." Applejack rubbed her face with one hoof.

There was a slurping sound to her side, followed by a cracking voice: "Trouble sleeping?"

Applejack blinked. She looked over.

Rainbow Dash was sipping from a bowl of color-stained milk. A few loose rings of wheat floated in the liquid, a few clinging to Rainbow's nose—at least until she licked them up.

"You... do remember what happened last night, right?" Applejack droned.

"Heh... takes a lot outta ya, huh?" Rainbow Dash smiled, sipped some more, and smiled again. "I dunno about you, but I'm feeling pumped! I got to see the Wonderbolts last night! If even for a little bit! Heh... I wanna live the rest of this week to the fullest!"

"Well, alright, sugarcube."

"Mmmmmmm... y'know, I used to think that cereal was pretty lame. But, now that I think of it, there's nothing quite like filling your muzzle to the brim with sugar fruity goodness in the morning. Y'know what I mean?"

Applejack's sunken eyes rested on the mare's bed-tossed mane. "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"Mrmmfff..." Rainbow finished the last of the milk. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her tummy. A burp... a second burp... and she looked at Applejack. Her eyes lowered slightly. "... ... ...maybe you should go back to bed if you love that thing so much?"

"Huh? What thing?" Applejack paled. She then looked down to see that she had been hugging her pillow from last night the entire time. The cover had slipped half off. The farm mare chewed on her bottom lip, squirming slightly.

Fluttershy suppressed a giggle from across the table and finished her pancakes.

"I... uh..." Applejack cleared her throat. "Reckon it's mighty comfy."

"Sure. Whatever." Rainbow Dash grabbed her bowl and silverware and zipped to the kitchen. "I'll help wash up!"

"Oh, that's nice of you, Miss Dash!" Twilight Velvet said.

"Please. Just call me 'Dash.' Woohoo! Today's gonna rock!"

Applejack rubbed a hoof through her bangs and stared blankly into the tabletop...

A Head Start

"So, then, it's decided?" Twilight Sparkle was the first to step out of her apartment and into the cobblestone street of Canterlot. She was briskly followed by Spike and the rest of her friends. "We're going straight to the Royal Canterlot Museum?"

"Sounds good to me!" Pinkie said, hopping.

"Uh huh..." Rainbow hovered low above the group. "Might as well get it over with." A sunhat smacked her across the chin. "Hay!"

The sunhat floated back down onto Rarity's head, accompanying a pair of wide-rimmed sunglasses. "I hear they have an exhibit on old celebrities' possessions. I am abolutely dying to see the wardrobe they have on display that once belonged to Audrey Hayburn!"

"Ooh!" Fluttershy grinned. "Wasn't she in that one play?"

"My Fair Filly? Absolutely! Squee!"

"Squee!"

"Well... sounds like a real walk in the park!" Applejack said, trotting out and straightening her hat.

"Oh! We can go to the park as well!" Spike said. He hopped onto Twilight's backside. "Can we, Twilight? Huh?"

"I dunno, Spike." Twilight levitated a notepad from her saddlebag. "The girls and I have just finished our itinerary." She looked apologetically at him. "Museum. Then shopping. Then the restaurants."

Rainbow hissed aside to Applejack: "She means the bars."

Applejack chuckled.

"Ahhhhhh..." Spike deflated.

"It's okay, Spike." Fluttershy leaned over and nuzzled him. "I already worked it out with Twilight. I was going to see the Common Gardens the day after tomorrow. You can show me the park then too!"

"Really? Sweet!" He grinned. "I'll show you the spot by the pond where I love to chase squirrels!"

"Oh Spike!" Pinkie Pie giggle-snorted. "There are plenty of squirrels in Ponyville! I don't see you chase them!"

"It's an old habit he used to have as a little hatchling." Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes. "There were times I swear I was raising a little dog and not a dragon."

"Whew! Wouldn't that be the worst?" Rarity fanned herself in the morning sunlight. "Doing somethin' unseemly in front of the Canterlot public eye?" She squinted over. "By the way, Applejack, in speakin' of presentation..."

"Uhhh..." Applejack squinted back. "Yeah?"

"Are you certain you wish to sport that old-fashioned worker's hat of yours around uptown Canterlot?"

"This is my folks' hat! What the hay's wrong with it?"

"Nothing! I simply don't wish for you to cause yourself undo awkwardness under the scrutiny of the local aristocracy."

"Awkwardness, shmawkwardness." Applejack frowned. "While we're at it, are you sure you wanna wear that big poofy thing on yer head? That'll upturn some Hoity Toity noses for sure!"

"Unnh!" Rarity grabbed the article in question, looking wounded. "But this is an authentic chapeau de cheval from Prim Hemline! It's all the rage in the royal quarter!"

"Uhm..." Fluttershy trembled slightly. "Could we not fight, please?"

"What's there to fight about?" Rainbow Dash flew into the middle of the group. "Rarity, stop bothering Applejack about her hat."

"But I only meant—"

"We all know what you meant, but it doesn't matter!" Rainbow stuck her chin up with a smirk. "I happen to like Applejack's hat!"

Applejack blinked. "You do?"

"Yeah..." Rainbow shrugged and gave her a tiny smile. "You look cool in it."

Applejack blinked again. "... ... ...I do?"

"Then it's settled." Rarity cleared her throat. "Applejack, I apologize. That was quite rude of me. For what it's worth, I enjoy seeing your hat."

"Yeah! Who doesn't!" Rainbow Dash flew on ahead. "It reminds us all that AJ's here! Now, let's get going already!"

Applejack stood in place. Her ears twitched.

"Applejack...?"

"Uh, yeah. Rarity." Applejack looked over. "Yer forgiven. N'stuff."

Pinkie Pie smiled back at her. "I'm Pinkie Pie!"

"Errr... right you are." Applejack was sweating for some reason. Biting her lip, she tucked the brim of her hat down and shuffled along to follow the group through the streets of Canterlot.

A-Museum-ing

"And here..." Twilight Sparkle's voice echoed across the vast museum chamber. "...we have the remains of the Ancient Everfree Sloth." She passed several natural exhibits and stood before a gigantic skeleton of a mammalian beast, poised halfway upon its rear limbs. Light shone through the tall windows across the room glinting off multiple picture frames, glass displays, and pedestals. Spike balanced on her back while Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie shuffled up to join her. "Measuring at over three tons, this slow-moving gentle giant used to roam the fringes of ancient Dream Valley, subsisting off of barries, fruit, and flowers."

"Dream Valley?" Pinkie Pie's muzzle scrunched. "But that's hundreds and hundreds of miles away from the Everfree Forest!"

"Ah! Maybe today!" Spike remarked with a smile. "But not in the past!"

Twilight nodded. "The Forest used to stretch east and west across the entire plains of Equestria. Hadn't they drawn back due to the Great Freeze that predated the Founding of Equestria, the kingdom as we know it today would have been split in half! A North Equestria and a South Equestria!"

"Again, that's assuming that ponies would have crossed the Everfree Forest to begin with," Spike stated. "In a different world—who knows? Maybe buffalo or griffins would have founded a nation south of us."

Pinkie Pie blinked. "You mean Dredgemane would have been filled with Dredgecatbirds?"

"Possibly so, Pinkie."

"Ohhhhhhhhh..." Pinkie pouted. "Those poor little beaks!"

"They're only speaking hypothetically, darling," Rarity said. "The reality stands in front of you." She shuddered from the sight of the looming sloth skeleton. "And what a ghastly reality it was!"

"Oh Rarity." Twilight smiled. "The sloth would never have tried to hurt you."

"Just look at its ribcage!" Rarity squeaked. "You could fit a dozen ponies in there!"

"Twilight's right, though," Fluttershy said with a smile. "Much like the Greater Sloths of the Saddle Arabian River Valley, the Ancient Everfree Sloth had a slow metabolism... only fit for eating vegetation and fruit. It was a slow moving, gentle creature. And—from what paleontologists have studied—full of soft, cuddly fur!" She hugged herself with a drunken grin. "Ohhhhhh... the cuddles they must have given!"

"My stars, Fluttershy..." Rarity brushed back her own mane. "I didn't know you were so well-versed on the topic."

"I love all animals." Fluttershy let loose a melancholic, melodious sigh. "Including the ones who are no longer with us. I like to think that they're resting in peace among the stars."

"Or in large dusty museums!" Spike said. Twilight whapped him lightly with her tail.

Pinkie Pie giggled, then blinked about. "Say! Where's Applejack and Rainbow Dash?"

"Somewhere else in the museum," Twilight stated.

"Shouldn't we go fetch them?"

"No, I'd much rather my friends enjoy this place at their own pace. Besides..." Twilight Sparkle trotted towards the next exhibit with a smug grin. "...they can only be learning. And that's a good thing."

"Consarn blasted doohickey!" Applejack sneered, slipping her bit back into the soft drink vending machine by the restrooms. "Are ya gonna take or aren't ya?!"

The golden coin slid into the whurring device. A beat. It slid back out.

"Rrrrrgh!" Applejack grasped the coin, bit on it several times with her teeth to make it "flatter," then slipped it once again into the slot. "Dag nab... modern varmint of convenience..."

The coin slid in. Silence. More silence. Then—it slid back out.

"Rrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Applejack flexed her muscles, reeled back, and slammed the coin into the slot with both bucking rear hooves.

A resounding echo rippled through the nearby exhibit. Then—in the ensuing silence—Applejack heard the heavenly mechanical buzz of the vending machine finally taking her currency.

"Hah! Learned you right!" Catching her breath, Applejack slapped her hoof over the button marked "Apple Suds." "Now... let's see how yer hoity toity modern stuff tastes, Canterlot."

The vending machine rattled a bit. At last, a can fell into the receptical, nice and cold.

Applejack snatched it up... then blinked.

It was Grape Soda—far from what she ordered.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Applejack rolled her eyes, sighed, and nevertheless popped the can. "Be thankful for all thangs, Applejack." Trotting about on three legs, she took her first sip. "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... grape-y."

It so happened that Applejack was in the History Wing of the museum. Try as she might, she couldn't get her way to part with it and join the others. Animals and natural history were fascinating, but she found herself glued to the ancient photographs of early Equestrian settlers. She stared endlessly at the uniforms of past armies. And she spent more than her fair share of time observing dated pieces of agricultural tools and machinery.

Eventually, after listening to an audio presentation lecturing to her about century-old beekeeping, she finished her soda and tossed the empty can into a blue receptical. Cl-Clunk!

"Nice shot, girl," a voice cracked from behind.

"Hmmm?" Applejack looked over her shoulder. "Oh, hey there, RD."

Rainbow Dash strolled over, stifling a yawn. "'Hey' yourself."

"I know, I know." Applejack sighed. "The girls probably sent you to fetch me so I could rejoin Twilight's tour."

"Huh?" Rainbow's face adorably scrunched. "Heck, I've no clue where they are."

"Ya don't?"

"Meh..." Rainbow shrugged. "I wandered off minutes ago. I'm not exactly a big fan of natural history."

"Heh, me neither."

"I'm pretty sure a fart smelled the same ten million years ago as it does now."

Their laughing voices echoed through the mostly-vacant museum.

"Hah hah hah hah!"

"Hee hee hee!" Rainbow Dash looked around. "Yeesh... this place is a ghost town."

"Well, it's early in the mornin' on a weekday," Applejack said. "Most ponies are probably recoverin' from last night's Gala, y'know. Sleepin' in and such..."

"Well, guess they're the sane ones."

"This whole place must be super borin' to ya, darlin'."

"Naaaaaah..." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I'm diggin' the sweet pictures. Plus!" She pointed vaguely upstairs. "They have an entire wing dedicated to popular culture!"

"No kiddin'..."

"Did you know they've preserved an entire set from 'Mare Army Surgical Hospital?'"

"I... did not know that..." Applejack's face scrunched.

"... ... ... ...you never watched it either, did you?"

"Well, we could only ever listen to the radio broadcast version. I faintly remember Granny Smith playin' it. The theme song still puts me to sleep cuz it would always come on around bed time."

"Heh heh... I hear ya." Rainbow Dash glanced at the surrounding exhibits. "So why are you sticking around here?"

"I dunno." Applejack shrugged. "It's all historical, I guess."

"You have a thing for the past, huh?"

"Well, all of these things meant the world to ponies who came before us," Applejack said. "They contributed their entire lives to one thang and one thang only. It defined them. And—thanks to their commitment and sacrifice—our society is all the stronger today. It's like they was layin' the foundation for all ponies and farmers and soldiers to come."

"Wow. Mad respect."

"Exactly what I'm sayin'," Applejack said. "It just... feels rather disrespectful to not give this place some serious scrutiny."

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "If you say so."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "You dun agree?"

"I'm from Cloudsdale, AJ." Rainbow bore a tired smirk. "We don't exactly have a foundation... much less an earth to plant our artifacts." She stifled a yawn. "Life for my kind is always in the 'now'... or on the go... or trying new things."

"Huh..." Applejack blinked. "Sounds mighty lonely."

Rainbow Dash squinted. "How do you figure?"

"I mean... to live without havin' much behind ya or ahead of ya."

"Hey, I'm always thinking about the future!" Rainbow Dash's smile lasted only briefly. She fidgeted, flexing one of her forelimbs. "At least... thinking about it enough."

Applejack stared at her. She suddenly smirked. "Y'know... I might have seen somethin' around here that could tickle yer fancy," she said. "Get you to have a new respect for history."

"Oh yeah? That sounds like a challenge."

Applejack laughed. "Why's everythang gotta be a dag-blame'd competition with you, darlin'?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"Come..." Applejack motioned, trotting into the next room. "Have a look-see. You won't regret it."

Past Hooves

"Whew! Look at them duds!" Applejack grinned, standing before a ponniquin in a well-preserved bomber jacket. "Accordin' to this here plaque, it says that Commander Easyglider was the most influential flight coordinator in Wonderbolts history! Now talk about a legacy!"

Rainbow Dash was silent. Her muzzle hung slightly agape as she stared at rows upon rows of Wonderbolt memorabilia. Above them, a cluster of uniform'd ponniquins were suspended from the ceiling, mimicking a trademark flight formation. The petite mare's ears drooped as she took all of the information in.

Applejack trotted on to the next figure. "General Firefly. Heh... reckon I really like his hat." Applejack pointed at the article in question. "It's the same kind of look that the ol' west cavalry used to be sportin'. At least I think so. Over in Appleloosa, Braeburn has these picture books full of old-timey photos and there are ponies wearin' uniforms like this General Firefly feller. It must have been 'the look' at the time, or what-have-you. I'm sure Twilight would know. I tell ya, Rainbow, if it weren't for them cavalry ponies, we'd never have driven out the Dust Hydras who roamed the western deserts... devourin' everythang they set their beady lizard eyes on."

Rainbow Dash continued to be silent.

Applejack blinked. Fidgeting slightly, she cast a curious look over at the mare. "Are ya truly speechless, sugarcube? Or just plain bored?"

"There's... so much stuff here," Rainbow Dash murmured.

"Well... yeah!" Applejack chuckled. "Figured you'd be floored! I mean... the Wonderbolts have been protectin' the skies of Equestria for generations. This here's only a smidgen of what they've accomplished! You should be proud of yer heroes! They've got a lot to look back on!"

"General Firefly... Commander Easyglider..." Rainbow Dash bit her lip, glancing at the next two plaques before Applejack. "Colonel Purple Dart... Admiral Fairweather..."

"Mighty fine folk, ain't they?"

"I... never heard of them before..."

Applejack chuckled... then regretted it. "Wait, yer serious?"

"I mean. I-I know Spitfire and Soarin' and Fleetfoot... but..." Rainbow Dash gulped, her voice soft and contemplative. "All these old dudes and dudettes... I-I never really learned anything about them."

"Well, now you can! And I betcha they're just as awesome as Spitfire and the rest of the modern gang!"

"... ... ... ..."

Applejack arched an eyebrow. "Somethin' the matter?"

"I dunno, I just..." Rainbow Dash flexed her forelimbs, hovering in place. "I feel so stupid."

"What for?"

"Somehow I always thought that the Wonderbolts were... y'know... a new thing."

"As in they was invented in our lifetime?" Applejack shook her head. "Ain't so, sugarcube. We'd be hard pressed to find any 'new' ponies who started out on their own." She smiled. "Take us, for example! We're the Elements of Harmony! But the Elements have been a thang for thousands and thousands of years!"

"Yeah..." Rainbow gulped, staring off down the nearby corridor. "Kinda makes you feel small, dun it?"

"Well... maybe..." Applejack shrugged. "But it also makes me feel super important, y'know? Like... I'm the exclamation point at the end of an epic poem. Heh..." She adjusted her hat. "Rather sappy, I know... but it means a lot to me."

"Well, it must not mean a lot to me," Rainbow droned. "I never bothered to get to know these old Wonderbolts."

"Errr..."

"What do you think their lives were like? How awesome were they? How many adventures did they go on? How many dragons did they kick in the teeth? Were they happy? Sad? Drunk?" Rainbow glanced lethargically up at the formation of ponniquins. "All my life, I didn't know about them until now. I didn't bother to. And I can't be the only moron who's thought that way." A cold shudder. "Kinda... makes you wonder what'll happen after we are all gone. Who's gonna give a flying feather over our names in the future, huh?"

"Rainbow, just because some ponies ain't household names today dun make them any less important," Applejack said. "That's why we make museums like this! And keep books! And record every lil' thang about our lives... so that we can remember... and that we can respect the souls who came and went before us."

"Yeah, but... what does it all amount to in the end? If I didn't come here, I wouldn't be any the wiser."

"I... dun think I understand what yer gettin' at, sugarcube."

Rainbow Dash sighed. "Don't mind me. I've just... uh..." She gulped, rubbing her forelimbs together. "...have a thing about unknown ponies wandering off into the night."

Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"Rnnnngh..." Rainbow rubbed her face and groaned. "Don't mind me. Guess I'm just an emo pony this morning."

Applejack shrugged. "I dun mind it one bit. It's refreshin' to know yer so... so..."

"What?"

Applejack smirked. "Thoughtful."

Rainbow Dash blinked. "Really?"

"Heheheh..." Applejack motioned her along. "Come over this way. I want you to see somethin'... somethin' that makes me feel happy."

"Oh boy." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and floated after her. "Must be an ancient Applesaurus or something."

"Hush, you."

Once and Freckled Past

"And this here was invented by an ol' frontier settler pony named Agustus Appleton!" Applejack pointed at a plaque standing right before a rickety wooden contraption that resembled a wagon fitted with levers and scoopers. "It's an apple-sortin' machine. Up in Seaddle, when the first ponies came there to farm apples, they used to manually sort the apples by hoof. They'd arrange 'em by weight so they could properly sell them in coordinated bushels. But that took forever and the produce market was rampin' up somethin' fast. Sooooo... this smart feller devised a way for you to funnel the fruit down a chute and a wooded scale would immediately press down whenever a certain weight was reached, and them there levers that you see would shove them into either one barrel or another!"

Rainbow Dash stifled a yawn. "Mmmmm..." She rubbed one eye and nodded. "Uh huh?"

Applejack's eyes squinted. "Am I puttin' ya to sleep, sugarcube?"

"I'm... uh... I'm good, AJ." Rainbow Dash nevertheless bore a bleary smile from where she hovered next to the farm mare in the museum. "S-Sorry. I'm trying my darnedest. I promise."

"Heh... it's alright." Applejack tilted her hat back, smirking. "I did say this means a lot to me—not you."

"Yeah. You said that this sort of stuff makes you happy." Rainbow Dash stared down the line of historical farm artifacts. "And that's super cool and all, but... uhm..."

"Yer wonderin' how all of this balderdash pertains to you, ain'tcha?"

"Mmmmmm..." Rainbow Dash blushed slightly, rubbing her forelimbs together. "...yyyyyyyyeah."

"Well..." Applejack strolled through the history wing, glancing at various exhibits standing before them. "Did ya know about the names of all these ponies before I brought you in here?"

"Errrr..." Rainbow floated after Applejack, shaking her head. "No."

"Have you ever seen any of these contraptions before?"

"Sorry. Can't say that I have."

"Well... answer me this, darlin'..." Applejack glanced back at her with a smile. "You ever bit into a sweet, delicious apple?"

"You're serious, right?"

"Just answer the question." Applejack pointed. "It's even better if you've bitten into an apple before you ever met me."

Rainbow Dash blinked.

"I'm serious!" Applejack smiled. "Have you?"

"Well... sure! I mean... Cloudsdale might be miles above the earth, but we get shipments of earth pony products all the time there. I've eaten apples all my life."

"Good stuff, I reckon."

"Oh, friggin' A! You bet! Always a tasty treat."

"Well, I'd say yer appreciatin' the fine work and legacy of these ol' settler ponies without even knowing about them!"

"... ... ...huh?"

Applejack chuckled at Rainbow's scrunched expression. "Rainbow, sugarcube, no single pony can swallow the whole world's worth of information. I'm sure even Twilight would tell ya that it takes more than a lifetime to put everythang ever written into yer noggin'. It's just... not very practical-like to learn and remember everything."

"Still... sucks that so many ponies get forgotten."

"Well, sure. And I ain't sayin' that it's fine and dandy to be ignorant. But..." Applejack cleared her throat. "Rainbow Dash, it's plum inevitable that yer gonna be forgotten."

Rainbow bit her lip.

"Even if you do get famous—which I have every confidence of you bein', now." She turned around and smiled softly at the mare. "Either on purpose—but mostly by happenstance—most ponies are gonna live their future lives without ever knowin' that you ever once existed. But—the way I see it—so long as you do everythang you can to improve the lives of those around you and those yet to come... then..." Her teeth showed beneath her grin. "They'll sure as hay appreciate all the contributions that you've made in your life! Because they'll be reapin' the benefits of them! Whether they know it or not!"

Rainbow Dash folded her forelimbs and gave Applejack a cockeyed glance. "Is that your philosophy in life, AJ?"

Applejack shrugged. "Ain't too crazy, is it? Take my folks for instance..."

"Yeah...?"

"I only have slim memories of them." Applejack took a deep breath. "They're awfully precious memories—as you can imagine—but so much of what I do nowadays is just so overwhelmin'. It's so plum easy to forget all of the sweetness of the past. And—I hate to say it—but so many of them memories and sensations are startin' to fade." She gulped. "But..."

"You're living life to the fullest for them..."

"And because of them," Applejack said. "And I know it! So... in everythang I do or say or set my heart to... they're alive with me! And I can always appreciate them! Even if I don't remember them fully." She sighed happily. "I reckon after you and I are long and gone, Rainbow, ponies will be appreciatin' us all the same. It's just... the nature of livin', y'know?"

"Yeah. Sure. I'll buy that."

"Heh... I ain't forcin' ya to, sugarcube."

"But... all this time you've been living for your folks?"

"Uh huh."

Rainbow's eyes blinked, narrowing. "Have you ever thought of just living for yourself?"

Applejack blinked. "... ... ... ... ...I don't follow."

"Heheheheh..."

Applejack raised an eyebrow into the brim of her hat. "What? What's so funny?"

"It's not funny."

"Then what is it?"

"I... I don't know..." Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. She looked off. "Just... you're... uh... you're a pretty cool pony, Applejack."

"Why, thank ya kindly, Rainbow."

"And I'm sure your parents would believe the same thing—especially if they saw you today. So... like..." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Haven't you lived for them long enough? We all know you appreciate your folks. How about living for yourself for a change?"

"How... would... I go about doin' that?" Applejack shrugged.

"Pffft... I dunno!" Rainbow Dash laughed nervously.

"I like what I do. Heh..." Applejack tilted her hat back. "I lurve what I do."

"Yeah. No doubt about that."

Applejack blinked.

"AJ, it's really swell that you wanted to get me a pep talk and all... but..." Rainbow squirmed visibly in midair. "Can we go find the other girls now? They're probably miles away in this friggin' place now."

"Well, sure! I'm sorry if I was borin' you."

"You're not boring me, I just..." Rainbow Dash coughed. "...I just think it's high-time we caught up with the rest of our friends."

"All we're doin' is havin' a nice, warm-hearted chat."

"Heeheehee... hee hee heeeeee..." Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head and flew ahead. "Yeahhhhhhh..."

Applejack squinted at her curiously. Under an awkward cloud of confusion, she nevertheless trotted after her petite companion.

Dressed Up and Good to Goof

Later...

"Oh Fluttershy! I absolutely adore you in that!" Rarity cooed, sitting on a plush white ottoman in the corner of a lush Canterlot department store. Feminine fabrics draped along the walls, framing a pedestal positioned in front of three gold-framed mirrors. Upon the bold dais stood Fluttershy, bashfully sporting a lacy pink-and-white frock that she just trotted out of the changing room with. "And the embroidery along the hem!" Rarity added, praising. "Ooo-hoo-hoo! Sure, it's no Carousel Boutique quality, but even so! Such exquisite lace! Such elegant design! Why, it brings out your dainty features with such rich pinache!"

"Very, very pretty, Fluttershy." Twilight winked from where she stood. "I think it would be perfect to wear for special occasions! Like when Celestia visits Ponyville for a royal dinner."

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie clapped her hooves. "Or when a strapping young stallion shows up at the cottage to have his pet jackrabbit looked at!" She waggled her eyebrows and leaned in to bump an elbow. "Hubba-hubba!"

Fluttershy giggled, blushing beet-red. "Oh Pinkie Pie..."

"Pinkie!" Rarity pouted. "Do not nudge the stitching! Do you have any idea how much that dress costs?!"

"No more or less than the last one!" Pinkie Pie giggle-snorted. "How 'bout it, Fluttershy? How's it like to be wearing a thousand bits?"

"I h-have to admit..." Fluttershy rubbed one forelimb with the other, looking down to admire her silk threads. "...being wrapped up in something this expensive feels... nice."

"Well, we have a few more affordable gowns for you to try on, Fluttershy," Rarity said. "You too, Twilight! Oooh! There's this glittery black ensemble that I just know will perfect on you, darling!" She winked. "Make you wish you were Luna's special apprentice instead."

"Whew-wee..." Twilight rolled her eyes but nonetheless blushed. "Wouldn't that be the alternate universe."

"Alternate what-now?" Pinkie's muzzle scrunched.

"And Pinkie! I've been dying to see you in something blue!" Rarity said. "Oh, will you please try on that azure-rose ballgown I picked out for you? Please? Pretty please?"

"I dunno, Rare-Rare. Is it flouncy?"

"Only the flounciesssst!"

"Woohoo! Sign me up! Move over, Fluttershy!"

"Uhm... okay..."

"Shhhh! Don't make a scene! We're lucky to be trying on as many dresses as we have!"

A few ottomans over...

...Applejack sat undaitily, slumped back against a marble pillar supporting the high ceiling of the inner city boutique. She smiled at all of her friends having fun. Her peripheral vision caught notice of a blue shape slouched to her side.

Applejack looked to see Rainbow Dash hunched over, her muzzle sunken in both fetlocks.

"Heh..." Applejack lazily tilted her hat back. "Like pullin' teeth, huh?"

"Mrnnghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Was Rainbow's response.

"Dun ya worry. They'll be done soon." Applejack cleared her throat, glancing ahead once again. "Annnnnnnny moment now. They'll be done fittin' dresses."

"Mrrggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh..."

"Oh come on, Rainbow..." Applejack playfully punched the mare's shoulder with her hoof. "It ain't that bad! Our best friends are havin' fun!"

Rainbow Dash jolted a lot more from Applejack's gesture than the mare expected. She teetered back, rubbing her shoulder with a frown. "They're wasting their lives away on frills and crinoline!"

"Dun tell me you've never wanted to look pretty for the sake of bein' pretty."

"Pfffft! No way!"

"Heh heh heh heh..."

Rainbow Dash frowned. "What are you laughing at?" her voice cracked.

"If it's so much torture, why not flitter off and—I dunno—do a few sonic rainbooms over the rooftops?"

"As if." Rainbow's eyes rolled. "They have a strict 'no-fly-zone' above Canterlot premises."

"Oh yeah?" Applejack blinked. "I had no idea."

"That's because you're not a pegasus," Rainbow grumbled. "It's not your business to know."

"Hmmmff..." Applejack folded her forelimbs. "Well, I'm sorry for bein' foaled into my station."

"That's not what I meant. I just... nnngh..." Rainbow buried her face in her hooves again. "... ... ...I just don't wanna look like a jerk."

"Rainbow, you wouldn't be abandonin' yer friends."

"But if I put through with this..." Rainbow tilted her face up, pulling at her lower eyelids. "Gnnrgghhh... then maybe... just maybe... they'll put up with me later on."

"How do you figure?"

"A whoooooooooooooooooole lot of cider."

"Ha hah!" Applejack grinned wide. "Don't I know it!"

Rainbow managed the tiniest of smirks. "You're looking forward to it too?"

"After seein' so many shades of pink just now, I suspect the elephants I'll be envisioning later this evenin' will look plain and boring."

"Heh..." Rainbow Dash fidgeted slightly. "I didn't take you much for a drinking mare."

"Usually I ain't. But this is a vacation, isn't it? I'm a long throw from Sweet Apple Acres."

"So... you get to indulge for once, huh?"

"Well..." It was Applejack's turn to fidget. "With reason."

"Laaaaaaaaaaame."

"Oh go soak yer head." Applejack stuck her tongue out like a silly pony. "Havin' a nip with friends is fine and dandy. In any other case, it's downright miserable. Y'know what I mean?"

"Oh. Yeah." Rainbow Dash gulped, looking off with drooping ears. "Totally."

"Besides... I'm just enjoyin' bein' around y'all... sober or not." Applejack smiled over to the platform. Pinkie Pie was shuffling out of the changing room in a blue ballgown while Rarity fussed with her threads. "Feels like everythang about this week shoulda gone sour... and yet it didn't." She felt a slight lump in her throat as she remembered the bits she didn't earn. "Best to... uh..." She gulped. "Drink in more than just passion from a glass, ya feel me? This here moment's fulfillin' enough."

"You... aren't as bothered by all this fru-fru nonsense as I am?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Naaaaaaaaah..." Applejack shifted where she sat. She looked down at her strong, muscular legs. "Deep down inside... beneath all the sweat and grit and mud I collect on my fetlocks on a daily basis... I gotta remember I'm still a mare."

"Yeah?" Rainbow cocked her head to the side. "But being a mare doesn't have to be all about being soft and pink and doe-eyed."

"Eenope." The edge of Applejack's lip curled. "But... part of me likes it all the same... or at least the idea of it." A soft exhale. "In portions. Everythang in portions..."

Silence.

"Y'know... AJ..." Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. "If... uh... if you... y'know... wanted to go and try on a few pretty dresses..." She slicked her mane back. "I-I wouldn't hate you for it."

Applejack squinted at her. "The hay is that supposed to mean?"

"Just saying!" Rainbow Dash smiled crookedly. "It's a vacation, isn't it? You don't get this opportunity all of the time. So why not just... go knock yourself out?" She shook her head. "Nopony would think any differently about you. Heck... I wouldn't think any differently about you."

"... ... ..." Applejack's freckles turned slightly rosy as she smiled. "Y'know what...? I think yer right."

"Heh... have fun, girl."

Applejack stood up. "What about you? Feel like tryin' on a few dresses yourself?"

"Hah!" Rainbow Dash laughed. "Hah hah hah!" She laughed some more. "Hah hah haaaaah... nahhhhhhhhhhhh..." A wave of the hoof. "I'm good."

"Ya sure?"

"Totes."

"Well then..." Applejack tipped her hat. "Enjoy the show, partner."

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmgood luck." Rainbow spoke into her lower lip.

Applejack trotted towards the dressing rooms. Halfway, she paused... glanced behind her shoulder... blinked...

...then shrugged it off before joining the rest of the mares.

Fussin' and Budgin'

"Hmmmmmmmmmm..." Rarity tapped her muzzle. The fashionista squinted in deep thought.

Twilight Sparkle craned her neck. "'Hmmmmmmmm?' Rarity, what does 'Hmmmmmm' mean?"

"Shhhhhh..." Rarity tilted her head to the left... then to the right. "Mmmmhmmmm... yes... yes... quite..."

She, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were closely surrounding a girlishly-adorned farm mare on all sides. Applejack squirmed, standing awkwardly in a red, green, and pink number with light pastel highlights across the bodice. The bustle was airy and translucent, giving the blonde pony a very "wispy" look.

"Uhhhhhh..." Applejack clenched her teeth. "Who's gonna be the first pony to admit it?"

"Admit what, Applejack?" Fluttershy asked, blinking.

Applejack sighed, shoulders slumping. "This is like a bull bein' unleashed in a china shop, ain't it?"

"Heehee!" Pinkie Pie grinned from ear to ear. "It's one sassy bull, then!"

"Uh uh—" Rarity forcibly tilted Applejack's chin—and the rest of her body—back up into a proper posture. "Just hold still, darlin'."

"For what?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. "This dressin' room got thicker than a bog! I feel like I'm waitin' for somepony to pluck an apple on my head and fire an arrow at me."

"Applejack..." Twilight beamed. "You're gorgeous!"

"Then what the hay's the problem? I only did this so I'd fit in with y'all."

"I'm ascertaining the issue at hoof, darling..." Rarity said.

"Well, could ya 'ascertain' faster?" Applejack nodded with her head. "Rainbow's slouchin' off lookin' mighty bored over there!"

"Oh. Nah." A voice wheezed from the distance. "I-I'm good."

Applejack turned to glance at her—

Rarity tilted her chin back. "Aaaaaaaaand hold."

"Uhhhhhh..." Applejack's brow furrowed. "What am I holdin' for?"

"Ah. At last." Rarity stood back with a smug little grin. "I understand now."

"What?" Pinkie's head whipped back and forth. "What is it, Rare-Rare?"

"It's her mane." Rarity pointed. "Its hanging far too heavily. It clashes with the weightlessness of the rest of the ensemble."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Pinkie nodded. "...Really?"

"Oh wow, Rarity..." Fluttershy exhaled. "You're absolutely right! I was thinking the same thing, but... m-my mind didn't know how to process it into exact words!"

"Guess that's why she's Ponyville's most talented fashionista," Twilight said with a smile.

"Nothing wrong with the way you look, Applejack," Rarity said, eyelashes fluttering. "It's all in the presentation of your natural beauty, darling. Your mane could just stand a slight readjustment to match the gown—is all."

"Ahhhh great..." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Here I am lookin' like some spruced-up watermelon. Now yer tellin' me I gotta sport a curly vine too?"

Fluttershy giggled.

"I'll solve that super quick!" Pinkie's muzzle contorted grotesquely as she snorted, snorted again, then spat onto her hoof. "Hold super still, AJ!" She raised the saliva-coated hoof towards Applejack's exposed mane.

"Egads!" Rarity shrieked. "Twilight—!"

FLASH! A telekinetic spell of epic proportions lifted Pinkie clear off her feet and a good four meters away from her target.

"Whoah there, Pinkie!" Twilight grimaced beneath a glowing horn. "Soooooo not the time or place!"

"Awwwwwww!" Pinkie pouted. "But Twilight! I wasn't gonna wet-willy her or nothing!"

"Y'all are crazy..." Applejack face-hoofed. "I swear..."

"It's okay!" Rarity smiled, teeth showing. "It's quite fine! I know just the solution!" She hooked forelimbs with Applejack. "We'll just... sashay on down to the Canterlot Salon!"

"What?!"

"I've seen this fabulous in-fashion updo that's all the rage and—"

"Hold yer horses for a dag-blame'd second!" Applejack jerked away, frowning. Pinkie and Fluttershy were giggling as she protested: "I was only tryin' this thang on for kicks! No way I can afford buying me a fancy dress!"

"I-I'll split it with you!" Rarity pleaded.

"Rarity..."

"We can all chip in! Right girls?"

"Abso-posi-tootily-lootly!"

"It looks so wonderful on you, AJ..."

"Could be nice to wear for when Celestia visits—"

"Consarnit!" Applejack snarled, fussing with them. "Who's side are y'all on anyways?" She looked across the way. "Rainbow! Reason with them! Tell them to knock it off!"

A pair of ruby eyes stared blankly.

"Rainbow...?!"

"Huh? What?"

"What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing! Nothing's the batter! Er... I-I mean you're just fine! I mean I'm fine!"

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Rainbow...?"

"Ahem." Rainbow hovered up from her chair. "Rarity, salons are stupid. You're stupid. Let Applejack go."

"That's more like it!"

"Ungh!" Rarity tossed her mane. "Sticks and stones, Rainbow Dash! I say we're going." She smiled. "We can get you a rainbow perm while we're at ittttt!"

"A prismatic perm!" Pinkie Pie insisted.

"That's it!" Rainbow Dash spun about and fled towards the department store's exist in a spectral blur. "I'm outta here!"

"Dang it, Rainbow!" Applejack stomped a hoof.

Twilight and Fluttershy laughed once again.

Gyrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl

"Heeeheeeheee!"

"Hehehehehe!"

Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were a flood of giggles as they trotted merrily down the cobblestone streets of Canterlot's market district. More than a few shopping bags dangled/floated between them.

"Did you see the expression on that poor clerk's face?" Rarity adjusted her sunhat and winked at her fellow fillyfriends. "She must be wondering why we didn't carry the whole store along with us!"

"Oh no..." Fluttershy struggled to stop giggling. "I do hope we didn't make her day stressful."

"Oh please, Fluttershy... Rarity..." Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes. "None of us can even afford buying one thousandth of that boutique's entire inventory."

"You know what the best part is?" Pinkie Pie grinned wide. "I'm not even worried about how I'm going to pull off my new outfit at the Gala! Cuz the Gala's behind us!" She hop-hop-hopped along. "Plus! It stinks! Heeheehee!"

"I'm going to wear my new scarf at the first book club meeting I have with my animal friends," Fluttershy said. "I hope the pink-ness distracts them from having to ask any questions about the Gala."

"Nonsense, darling!" Rarity tossed her bangs in mid-trot. "If any of your... forest friends poses an imposing question, simply tell them it's none of their business! Mare's perogative!"

"Hah!" Twilight Sparkle chortled. "I've tried that before with Spike, but it never works!" She looked over her shoulder. "Isn't that right, Spike?"

"Mrmmmf-mrmmfff!" Spike stammered, his face full of stacked packages that he was struggling to balance in his little claws. He waddled desperately after the mares.

"Spikey-wikey doesn't count, darling," Rarity said. "After all, he's a lady's-mare. He knows better."

Spike stuck his head out, wheezing. "I am?" He nearly tripped on a manhole. "Guh! Whoahhh—!" He kept his stack of packages from teetering over at the last second and resumed his dutiful march.

"Awwwwww... poor Spike..." Fluttershy pouted. "He's been so patient with us girls."

"Yes. Quite." Rarity nodded. "We should consider doing something far less glamorous so he can recover." A beat. The unicorn then beamed. "So—who's ready to go to the salon?!?"

"Oooh!" Twilight skipped along. "Me! Me! You're going to love this place! My mother and her fellow marefriends go there all the time!"

"Yaaaay!" Fluttershy giggled, flapping her wings slightly for added lift. "Oh! I can't help myself! Sometimes it's fun letting myself do things that are unapologetically 'girly'!"

"Something something estrus!" Pinkie Pie hopped and smiled. "Am I doing it right?!"

"Hah hah hah hah!"

"Hee hee hee! Come on, darlings!"

"Onward!"

The four mares frolicked happily at the front of the pack with Spike struggling to keep back.

Keeping up the rear...

"Unnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngh..." Rainbow's every body part drooped, anchored to the mountainface below by three times the normal pull of gravity.

"How ya holdin' up there, partner?" Applejack remarked, giving her a calm smile.

"Whatever. It's okay. I'm fine." Rainbow nevertheless took several firm, steady breaths. "We're gonna fit in an airshow sometime this week. I just know it."

"Heheh... dun worry." Applejack winked. "If worse comes to worst, just remember I'm here. We'll look out after each other. Make sure we dun go insane."

"Yeah, well... I don't deserve it," Rainbow muttered.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "How's that?"

"I... totally could have come up with a way to drag you out of that fru-fru mess at the store earlier," Rainbow said. "But I didn't." She gulped, avoiding Applejack's gaze. "So... totes sorry about that."

"Ehhhh..." Applejack paused in mid-trot to wave a casual hoof. "Ain't no big whoop."

Rainbow flashed her a look. "Huh?"

"Just sayin'..." Applejack tilted her hat back and smirked. "I was enjoyin' myself mighty fine."

"Enjoying yourself?!" Rainbow blanched. "AJ... you were fidgeting and complaining and groaning the whole time!"

"Eeyup!" Applejack winked. "On account that I wanted to last even longer."

"Buh?"

"Rainbow..." Applejack smiled at her. "I'm happy just to be here with y'all... with my friends. Sure, I prattled and rambled on like a sick mule, but that's not the point. The point is... they had fun sprucin' me up... and—as much as I hate to admit it—I had a teensy bit of fun bein' the center of their attention."

"For realsies?" Rainbow spat out the side of her muzzle. "Pffft..." A wry smirk. "Girl, I don't even know you any more."

"Oh come on, Rainbow..." Applejack chuckled. "Dun tell me you've never liked the idea of bein' dolled up."

"Uhhhhhhh—"

"Or... more to the point... just plum bein' treated affectionately." Applejack inhaled. "Y'know... we're mighty lucky to have such soft, carin' friends. They carry the likes of us as much if not more than we carry them. Wouldn't be proper without acknowledgin' it once and a while."

"... ... ... ...huh..." Rainbow Dash blinked. "You're... not wrong."

Applejack stared at her. "About which part?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow suddenly sweated. She a double-take. "Oh wow! Look! A fire hydrant?"

"Errrrr... what about it? We have them in Ponyville."

"Yeah! But this one's funky and shiny looking! Cool!" She zipped off. "Check it!"

Applejack shook her head and shuffled after her. "Reckon we put the wrong one of us in a girdle..."

To be Polite

"Mmmmmmmmm..." Rarity's voice could be heard cooing from across the lusciously-furnished salon. The upper city establishment was draped in fine velvets, and the air was ripe with fruity lotions and spicey incense. "Ohhhhhh this is positively divine. Thank you, Twilight, darling, for suggesting this magnificent place."

"Mmmmmhmmmm..." Twilight laid on her belly as a mare in white lightly massaged her back and flank. "I figured you would like it."

"It's so relaxing, isn't it, Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy smiled at Pinkie Pie while a pair of ponies gently kneaded the pegasus' shoulders and wing muscles. "Just like Aloe and Lotus' Spa back at home."

"Yeah! But this place is higher!" Pinkie chirped.

"'Higher?'" Fluttershy squinted.

"Yeah! Y'know... cuz of the mountains n'such? It takes more effort to sigh in relaxation!" Pinkie mused aloud. "You lose more body weight in moisture that way!"

"I... I never thought of it that way," Fluttershy murmured.

"Funny! Cuz you're a pegasus! Heehee! Figured you'd be used to getting high!" Pinkie paused to bark at the no-less-than four ponies hammering away at her spine. "HARDER!"

"Now now—no shouting, Pinkie," Rarity said as a mare gently polished her hooves. "We do not wish to insult Twilight's friends here. I'm sure they miss her company greatly."

"Oh, I never got a hooficure or massage here before," Twilight said.

Rarity nearly fell off the table. "You h-haven't?!"

"No. My mother came here all the time." Twilight smiled bashfully. "I... uh... would hang out in the lobby and do my homework first thing after school." She closed her eyes, relaxing. "But I love the smell of this place. Smells like getting my manecut."

"Oh, Twilight..." Rarity rolled her eyes, nevertheless smirking. "Whatever are we going to do with you?"

"Mmmmmmmmmmm... a horn-shine would be n-nice," Twilight cooed. She then opened one eye, sternly. "I'd rather a mare do it, please. Thank you."

"Where's Applejack and Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked, craning her neck.

"Mrmmmff... where else?" Rarity droned.

"Don't they wanna get all shiny and—" Pinkie Pie spoke into her hard massage. "—ree-ee-ee-l-aa-aa-aa-aa-aa-xeddd?" Her eyes rolled back momentarily. "Phw-ee-ee-ee-ee..."

"You'd have to ask them, I suppose." Twilight hummed, enjoying a hoof-rub. "Knowing them, they're probably finding their own fun with Spike right now."

"Rocks... papers... scissors... shoot!" Spike hollered. He held his scaley palm out flat against Applejack's hoof. "Hah! Paper beats rock! I win again!"

"Ehh... heh... way to go, Spike..." Applejack squirmed awkwardly in her chair in the salon's lobby. She sat on her haunches with her blonde tail curled about her. A table full of disheveled magazines lay a few spaces over. "Yer on a roll!"

"Hah! You bet I am!" Spike grinned. "Best game ever invented to pass the time! Wanna go again?"

"I dunno, Spike... yer whoopin' me somethin' fierce."

"Oh come on! It's only an eighteen to zero deficit! You can come back!"

"Any chance ya might choose 'scissors' one of these turns?"

"Pfft! No way!" Spike folded his arms. "I'm not one to throw a match!"

"No, I reckon not."

"Maybe Rainbow will wanna try a few rounds with me?"

Applejack calmly looked over her shoulder.

"Zzzzzzzz-zhhhhhhhzzzhkkt..." Rainbow Dash was slumped back in her chair, snoring directly into an open fashion magazine draped upside down over her drooling mall. "Snnkkkt-zzzzzzzzhnorrrrrr..."

"Mmmmmm... I dunno, Spike..." Applejack adjusted her hat and exhaled. "Seems she's a mite bit... distracted."

"'Bored' is more like it." Spike pouted. "Yeesh. I woulda figured this trip to Canterlot would have been more fun for you gals."

"It's not that Canterlot is borin' us, Spike. It's just..." Applejack leaned back in her chair. "I-I think Rainbow and I were hoping for somethin' a bit less shiny and somethin' more... passionate..."

"Passionate?"

"Er..." Applejack blushed slightly. "I'm talkin' of drinks, Spike. We was hankerin' to hit the local waterin' holes. See how Canterlot measures up to local Ponyville cider and the like."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh..." Spike nodded. "The Diamond District."

"Come again?"

"All the best bars are in the Diamond District!" Spike said, flailing his forelimbs. "Night Light goes there all the time!"

"Twilight's Pa? For real?"

"Yeah. Heh... he and his buddies like to hang out and chew the fat after a long week at work. They don't get utterly sloshed, though. Twilight Velvet wouldn't allow it... or else she'd be sloshed too."

"Heh... sounds like this Diamond District place is the bee's knees."

"Oh, it is! Just... some places are more expensive than others."

"You... uh..." Applejack fidgeted. "Wouldn't happen to know which ones are slightly more affordable."

Spike shrugged. "I'unno." He brightened. "Hey! Wanna see me make fire bubbles out my nose?" He proceeded to inhale wildly.

"Hold up, Spike..." Applejack hopped down from her chair and trotted across the salon. "I... uh... gotta tend to somethin'."

"Oh, sure thing, Applejack! Your loss!"

"The Diamond District?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Eeyup." Applejack nodded, standing a few respectful feet away from the massage tables. She craned her neck to look past the bodies of those tending ot her best friends. "Apparently it's some sort of fancy schmancy place where ponies can go to... go to... uhhhh—"

"You're thirsting for cider, huh?"

"Heh... ya caught me." Applejack took her hat off and fanned herself. "And I'm certain Rainbow's thirstin' for some too." She blinked at the frilly surroundings. "Or else... she's thirstin' for something that ain't this."

"Awwwwwwww..." Twilight hummed as her shoulder was squeezed and kneaded. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Didn't wanna impose. Plus..." Applejack cleared her throat. "Spike let slip about this so-called 'Diamond District' just now."

"Poor girls. You two must have been absolutely miserable."

"Nothin' that a few nips won't hurt." Applejack winked. "If you catch my drift."

"I'm not nearly as much into cider as the two of you. But if you both wanna get a head start on the local bar scene this week, then nothing's stopping you!"

"Ya sure ya dun mind, Twilight? We dun mean to be rude guests."

Twilight tilted her head to look at the other three mares. "Girls? Do you mind if Applejack and Rainbow Dash trot off to check out the Diamond District?"

"Heeeeeeeeeee!"

"Brush my tail, darling. Yessssssssss... just like that..."

"I think I can see stars!"

Twilight rolled her eyes and winked back at Applejack. "Better make a run for it. Just tell Spike to stay here. He's too young for cider."

"You betcha." Applejack plopped her hat back on, bowed slightly, and turned tail. "Yer the best, Twilight."

"Hmmmmmmm..." Twilight's eyes rolled back as she surrendered to the gentle massage. "I knowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww..."

To be Passionate

"Hey... Rainbow Dash...

"Shnnnnorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrttzzzzzkkkt..." Rainbow Dash continued to saw wood point-blank into the open magazine draped over her muzzle.

"Hey!" Applejack leaned across the lobby, poking Rainbow's shoulder. "Wake up, sugarcube!"

"Zzzzzt—SHNORTT! Guh—DAH!" Rainbow Dash jerked in place. She juggled the magazine in panicked fetlocks before eventually holding the article upside down before bleary eyes. "I'm just looking at the advertisements! I swear! All the outfits look the same to me!"

"Rainbow—"

"Stupid and boring—!"

"Rainbow, how about we trot outta here?"

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash blinked. "What time is it?"

"Half-past Hoity Toity with a chance of afternoon Fru-Fru," Applejack droned.

"Did..." Rainbow leaned forward, squinting like a blind mare. "Did you just tell a me joke?"

"Look, Rarity's off in massage la-la land and Twilight's given us an out, bless her heart." Applejack smirked. "Or would you rather sit here and continue lookin' at purdy pony fashion?"

"Ew, no!" Rainbow tossed the magazine onto the center table like a rag. "Please..." She folded her fetlocks in a huff. "The sooner we can get out of here, the better."

"Dun fancy salons, do ya?"

"I just..." Rainbow bit the edge of her lip. She rubbed her two hooves together, wincing slightly. "I-I don't like ponies t-touching my hooves..."

"Fair enough. How 'bout we put yer wings to good use?"

"Why? Where are we going?"

"A place called the Diamond District."

"Pffffft..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Sounds Rarity-esque and boring. No thanks. I've had enough of fancy today."

"Rainbow, it's where they serve cider at."

FWOOOOOOOOSH! Rainbow shot towards the door and flung it open. "What the hay are we waiting for?! Move your freckles, girl!"

"Heheheh..." Applejack trotted out into the cobblestone urbanity awaiting them. "Now that's more like it..."

"Diamond District..." Rainbow Dash looked all around, wringing her forelimbs anxiously. "Ohhhhhhhhhhh Diamond District. Where are youuuuuuu?"

"Simmer down, sally..." Applejack trotted leisurely up the inclined streets. "We'll get there eventually."

"But we don't want to miss happy hour!" Rainbow Dash squinted at the suncapped mountains looming above Canterlot. "Just what heck is Happy Hour for a bunch of silk-saddled city slickers living up in the mountains anyway?"

"Beats the heck outta me... but it's not even late afternoon." Applejack smiled. "We've got time! Take it easy, partner!"

"I've been trying to take it easy all day! Now my skull is chock-full of lace and massage lotions!" Rainbow Dash clutched her scalp. "Rnnnngh... I gotta wash it out with some passion!"

"Well, once we find the right place, then it'll all be worth the trek." Applejack tilted her hat back with a smirk. "Ya figure?"

"Applejack, why are you so chill and easy-going all the sudden?"

"Aren't I always?"

"Yeah, well... you're more so than usual."

"It's a vacation, darlin'. Not countin' my crazy trip to the Oranges in Manhattan, I reckon it's my first one ever."

"Whoah..." Rainbow Dash blinked at her. "This is your first vacation ever?"

"Darn tootin'." Applejack smiled and nodded. "And—from what I hear of other ponies vacationing all across Equestria—I figured it would be nifty to get—as they say—hammered."

"You? Hammered?"

"Somethin' wrong with that?"

"No! Just... pfft..." Rainbow Dash folded her forelimbs and glided along with a smirk. "It's a new you. I kinda like it."

"It's a temporary me," Applejack said. "Just promise that ya won't think any ill of me after I've had my second drink."

"Wait, what?"

"Ya heard me." Applejack blushed slightly, pausing to kick at the cobblestone beneath them. "I know it seems an awful lot—"

"Applejack, do you seriously consider two drinks as a way to get 'hammered?'"

"Well, I don't wanna go overboard."

"Pfffft!" Rainbow's voice cracked as her forelimbs flailed. "Then what's the friggin' point?!"

"Yeesh... Rainbow..." Applejack winced, glancing at the passerby's across the street. "Not so loud!"

"Follow my lead, AJ..." Rainbow Dash motioned her along as she flew towards the nearest bend in the bustling city road. "I'll show you the proper way to get smashed."

"Oh?" Applejack increased her trot. "Are you an expert on the subject?"

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe..."

Applejack sighed. "Perhaps this was a bad idea."

"You shut your freckles!" Rainbow hissed back at her. "Are you on vacation or aren't you?"

"Well—"

"Then you deserve to experience life to its fullest, girl!" Rainbow grinned wide. "Including the parts that feel like you're at the bottom of the ocean in an upside-down submarine being slowly flooded by liquified ether!"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh—"

"And I know just how to make it happen!" Rainbow Dash cupped her hooves around her muzzle. "YO! WHERE THE DIAMOND DISTRICT AT?!?!"

"Land's sakes—Rainbow Dash—?!"

"TWO MARES WITH A LICENSE TO KEEL OVER! COME ON! SOMEPONY SHOW US THE WAY!"

"Dag nabbit—hahahahah—cut it out, ya varmint!!!"

Happy Hour Zero

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..." Rainbow Dash's voice rasped. Her ruby eyes reflected literal dozens upon dozens of ornate bar signs. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..." The hairs of her neck stood on end as she took in the enormity of the Diamond District's selection. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."

"Will ya calm down?" Applejack trotted up in a hoof. She glanced at the curious, affluently-dressed locals giving the pair of mares the stinkeye. "We ain't at no dentist. Unless yer meanin' to make somethin' useful out of yer muzzle, then ya better close it!"

Rainbow swallowed a lump down her throat. "AJ. Ah jeez, AJ. There're so many of them, AJ..."

"I can see that!" Applejack smiled in spite of the fact. "Whew!" She fanned herself with her hat. "And here I thought Ponyville was nestled in the Land of the Plenty! This is a veritable cornacopia of Daddy Sodas!"

Rainbow Dash did a double-take. She squinted at Applejack, warily. "'Daddy Sodas?'"

"Ha ha! You like that?"

"... ... ... ...no???"

"Rarity told me about the term." Applejack chuckled. "It's what her Pa used to call cans of hard cider that he left lyin' around the kitchen and..." She blinked. "Er... y'know what?" She plopped her hat back on. "I ain't gonna finish that. Celestia knows, Rarity never did."

"Maybe we should j-just turn back around," Rainbow's voice cracked.

"What?" Applejack grimaced. "Why?"

"I mean look at this!" Rainbow flung a hoof towards the mess of options.

"Yeah? And?" Applejack smirked. "I figured you'd be overjoyed! Goddess knows I'm buzzed already and I haven't even had a nip!"

"It's just that..." Rainbow Dash sighed heavily, her body slightly hunched over. "AJ... I've never been all that good at making choices. My mind works in a straight line, y'know? Just plant a single flag on the top of a hill and I'm there."

"Ya dun say..."

"If I was a finicky mare like Rarity, I might dig this, but... euuugh..." Rainbow shook all over. "This is stupid. I mean—what if we pick a lame place? We'd be wasting our bits for nothing!"

"Ain't no waste of bits!" Applejack shook her head. "Not so long as I'm with you!"

Rainbow Dash blinked. Hard. "Buh?"

"T'ain't hard to get yer head around, sugarcube."

"... ... ...Buh???"

"Heheh..." Applejack rolled her eyes. "I'm here to have fun. It ain't all about the drink. It's about the discourse—ya reckon?" She nudged the petite pegasus' shoulder. "After all, it's plum miserable to drink alone."

"Oh..." Rainbow Dash blinked. A nervous chuckle. "Oh yeah! Heh heh!" She rubbed the back of her head. "Totally."

"Still..." Applejack rubbed her chin. "If it's that much of a chore for you, I guess I could totally pick the place we sit down at."

"You cool doing that?"

"Sure as sugar, darlin'!" Applejack took a few steps ahead. "We apples were born to fall from the tree first."

"Whatever that means, I can certainly dig it."

"Yes. Yes you can." Applejack squinted, squinted, then pointed. "There. The Drunken Skeever."

"AJ, the sign says 'Dawn and Shimmer.'"

"Whatever. Good enough."

"You really need to get your eyes checked."

"So what if I make a livin' where I need to stare into the sun a whole lot?"

"Well, at least it makes you look awesome in a pinch."

"Huh?"

Rainbow Dash coughed. "Alright! Drunken Skeever it is!"

"'Dawn and Shi—'"

"Whatever!" Rainbow Dash's wings blurred as she drifted ahead. "Looks like it's got patio seating! You can continue squinting into the bright sky!"

"Heh..." Applejack trotted after her. "What's left of it!"

"I doubt this is going to be our only stop."

"That's assumin' Canterlot brews somethin' deservin' of a second bar hop."

"Oh come on, AJ." Rainbow blew a raspberry over her fuzzy shoulder. "I know they're city slickers, but cut them some slack!"

“Spnkkkt!” Rainbow Dash hissed, spitting a fountain of bland cider out through her teeth. She reeled in her patio seat and held the container of brew as far away from her muzzle as possible. “This cider sucks!”

Applejack nearly exploded in guffawing laughter. Feeling the eyes of several nearby onlookers, she had to stifle the urge to chortle and instead lean towards Rainbow Dash, hissing: "I’m mighty glad you agree with me, sugarcube. But would it kill y’all to be a tad bit less rowdy about it?”

“What?” Rainbow smirked devilishly. “It’s a tragedy, I tell ya! Canterlot needs to know! Heck! All of Equestria should know!” With flapping wings, she hovered in place and hollered: “Hey, everypony! You wanna know what liquified sandpaper tastes like?!”

Tempered

“Rainbow!” Applejack's laughter ended just swiftly enough for her to take survey of the situation, and her observations sent her heartbeat into a panic. Taking action, she swiftly bit onto Rainbow's tail hairs and yanked her back down to her seat with practiced familiarity. “Mmmf—Honestly!”

“Owch!” Rainbow Dash placed her mug down so she could caress her own tail. She gave Applejack a wounded—adorably wounded—look. “Why do you always go for this thing? For real?”

“Because you never fail to be so gosh-tootin’ obnoxious!” Applejack angrily retorted.

To Applejack's fury, Rainbow merely smirked. “But really, Applejack, this cider blows. Like, big time.”

Those words settled and took root in the fertile fields of Applejack's mind. Something about the moment was stupidly pathetic... so much so that it tickled. At last, a helpless chuckle came out of Applejack's lungs, followed by one after another. She had to grip the edge of the patio table to keep from doubling over.

Rainbow smiled at that. Her pride restored, she picked her mug back up and swirled its contents. “Like, for real? Did they fill this with fifty percent mud concentrate?”

Applejack cleared her throat and replied, "Just because we’re in the High Pollutin’ Diamond District don’t mean everything they serve here is honest-to-goddess nectar." Ponies were staring. Applejack knew this. She also knew that Rainbow knew it, and somehow... that was relaxing enough to do the irreedeemable. She leaned back and kicked her lower hooves up onto the table. “Which proves the point I was tryin’ to make to you.”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow spoke into her mug. “Ugh… and wh-what point is that?”

“That throwin’ tons of golden bits into somethin’ ain’t no substitute for pouring one’s heart and talent into the same thang. This here establishment likely serves cider every month of the year. And to what end?” Applejack exhaled thoughtfully, her thoughts returning to warmer things. “But when Sweet Apple Acres hits cider season…”

“...it’s mother buckin’ ambrosia!” Rainbow Dash interjected, smiling. “Got it.”

“Erm… right.” Applejack sat up again, her mind and body going back into "farmer" mode. “Though I might say it with a tad bit more grace, sugarcube.”

“So what? It’s the honest truth!”

“Right, but t’ain’t no reason for bein’ ugly with the truth.”

“Pffft. Oh come off of it, Prudejack!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “It was just an expression.”

Applejack smiled tiredly. “I reckon so. And I’m mighty happy that you have so much respect for what my family produces every year. Only now..." Applejack's ears drooped slightly as she remembered the torrential vaccuum that the Gala night had become. "...I hope ya might understand why we gotta make it in such small doses. ya hear?”

“Right…” Rainbow Dash droned, teetering the mug in her grasp about in a bored fashion. “You put a lot of diligence and craftponyship and all that jazz—”

“Not just that, sugarcube,” Applejack said. She was coming across as very mellow now. She couldn't help it. The warmth in her fuzzy chest was tempered by just the right amount of bittersweet cold. “We put our love and commitment into it.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Love… and… whatnow?”

“Heheh. Reckon it sounds silly. But we really do put our hearts into what we do. If everythang was just mechnical-like, then it’d taste watered down and awful. Instead, we treat our apples like we treat our loved ones, and the rest works its way through. Like magic!”

“You mean you buck your loved ones out of trees and squeeze ‘em out like juice?”

“Now don’t be pullin’ a Twilight. Ya know rightly well what I mean.”

“Yeah, I hear you, Applejack.” Rainbow Dash nodded. “I kind of feel super bad for barking so angrily at you every year.”

“Ya just need to show up at the farm on time for once!” Applejack said. She recalled a time when a skyborne pegasus crash-landed in the field, forming a stupidly deep trench. She smiled slightly. “That way you won’t miss out on a single drop that’s due to ya!”

“Yeah, yeah. I get the picture.” Rainbow Dash nodded, staring into her mug. “Your love and… commitment…”

“I’m willin’ to bet that this year’s cider season is gonna be a tad bit huger than the last two or three years’ combined,” Applejack said. And just like that, her heart sank again. The shadows felt thicker around the patio, reminding her of the night's sky above the Gala. “Heck, it has to be.”

“Why’s that?”

Applejack bit her lip, but she remembered who she was with. It was none of the girls still prattling away under the fancy roof of a perfumed salon. Instead, it was a little scamp licking at the edges of a mug like some goofy preschooler. Somehow—for whatever reason—that was enough to make the truth burst right out. “To make up for my recent setback, is all,” Applejack said with a shrug.

Rainbow Dash's body locked curiously in place. "Set... back...?"

Letting It Out

"Hmmm..." Applejack hummed, if only to prolong the moment. She had dug herself a deep trench with her last statement, and the waters of Rainbow's curiosity was pouring in on all sides. There was no reason to bother the mare. Applejack considered changing the subject, but the lack of truth was just as much a lie as outright contradicting herself. So—after a firm breath—she casually rolled her eyes and droned: “T’ain’t no big deal.” It was cheating, but still true. In a sense.

But then Rainbow's voice swiftly cracked. "No. No, I wanna know.”

Applejack had given herself an out, but Rainbow wasn't having any of it. In some strange way, it was actually comforting. "Well..." She spoke slowly, breathily—so as not to inflect too much and suggest something dreadfully ominous. "I had to give up an awful lot of apples to prepare for… y’know… my ‘special sale’ at the Gala.”

“Oh?” Rainbow blinked. Then her ears drooped. She understood. “Oh…”

“Yeah…” Applejack gulped. “I only have myself to blame.”

“Huh? For what?”

“Well, it was somethin’ of a nasty gamble on my part.”

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “We all put our hopes and dreams into that Gala! It wasn’t our fault that it royally crashed and burned!”

Applejack wanted to wince, but she couldn't afford to. Not in front of her friend. She took the moment to avoid Rainbow's gaze. “Wasn’t it, though?"

“Yeah, well…”

Applejack didn't like the awkward lilt in Rainbow's voie, so she shifted the conversation. “Makes no difference,” she said. “I feel bad for ya gals. Really, I do. Especially Rarity and her dream of romance come true.”

Rainbow smirked. “Pfft… yeah, well… That mare dug herself in deep.”

“Not as deep a hole as I dug for my entire family.” Applejack’s ears drooped, realizing that she had inadvertently steered the conversation back into the flooded trench. “The apples don’t just belong to me, y’know. They represent the cream of the crop of Sweet Apple Acres." She almost felt like she was whining, but then she remembered who she was talking to. If this was any other mare, Applejack would undoubtedly hold back. But somehow—Rainbow Dash's realistic approach to everyday circumstances made Applejack relaxed. After all, the petite pegasus had a knack for it herself. The farm mare found her words rolling out quite naturally, without any hint of melancholic inflection. "When I invested the bushels for the sample table, I took a big cut out of what could have earned us regular profit. Now we’re behind in stock for the upcoming harvest. I’m still not sure how I’m gonna break it to Granny Smith and Big Mac. Someway, somehow, we’re gonna have to preserve some of what we have in store and bank on a really big cider season.”

“Wow, AJ.” Rainbow sounded more worried than Applejack had expected. The air around them and the patio grew thick. “I didn’t realize how involved all of that was. Though, I guess it makes sense…”

Applejack should have stopped then and there. She didn't. It felt too good to share it with someone... anyone.

But this wasn't just anyone. This was Rainbow Dash, her friend.

Possibly even her best friend...

“I had so much bet on this Gala earnin’ us the bits,” Applejack spoke with greater and greater ease. “I was bitin’ off more than I could chew. It’s only my fault, of course. I just wish the whole family didn’t have to flounder around because of it. Just because I did it for them don’t make it proper.”

All was still. And the euphoria with which Applejack expressed her feelings was swiftly drowned out by anxious silence. She wondered if she had overstepped her boundaries... if she had burdened Rainbow Dash with her troubles. Applejack had always sought to be a strong, self-supportive pony. Dishing her troubles out on others—especially during a vacation—felt downright foalish. Regret stacked up by the second, and just when Applejack felt she had reached the choking point...

...she heard a cartoonish series of gulps from her side.

Curious, Applejack turned her head and stared at Rianbow Dash squarely.

Rainbow Dash was chugging away at the contents of her "sandpaper" cider. After a long, long guzzle, the mare slapped a hoof over her chest and exhaled: “Phweeeeee!” Then, with bloodshot eyes, Rainbow leaned forward and bravely hissed, “If a bunch of Canterlot hackjobs could sell this crap for bits, then I know for a fact that you’re gonna sell the heck out of all your friggin’ apple juice, Applejack! Don’t you worry your big blonde head over nothin’, girl!”

Applejack blinked. What Rainbow Dash had said was undoubtedly the dumbest thing ever voiced by an equine being in the history of the world.

It was precisely what she needed to hear. "Heheheh..." She chuckled in time with the suddenly warm thumps of her fuzzily-contained heart. “Yer somethin’ else, Rainbow. You know that?”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Rainbow Dash winked.

“I dunno, sugarcube, but it feels mighty fine to have a loyal marefriend believe in me so much.” She reached over and playfully punched the pony’s shoulder. “Thanks a bunch.”

Rainbow let loose a wheezy chuckle, rubbing her shoulder with particular zeal. “Don't mention it.”

Whoah, There

Twenty minutes later, the two exited the bar—patio and all. The sunlight overhead was growing rosier, painting the sky with pastel hues that contrasted playfully with the bright blue rooftops of Canterlot's Upper Diamond District.

Rainbow Dash was hugging herself and giggling, gliding along in the air just below street lamp level. "I can't believe it!" As the last few words of the conversation rang through her fuzzy head, she turned to smile at the earth pony trotting along beneat her. "And yet Filthy Rich still did business with you guys after that?”

“Oh please, Rainbow.” Applejack chuckled. Try as she might to sound jovial about it, her stomach was doing twists deep in her gut—and it wasn't because of the cider. "I was just a lil’ filly then! And Mr. Rich is certainly a forgivin’ stallion! It’s not like he was gonna take a little ol’ thang like that personally!”

Rainbow struggled to contain her laughter. “But you looked up at him with your little tiny filly freckles and said ‘Wow, your mane looks like a throw rug!’ Hooooocrap! Ah ha ha ha!”

Ponies were starting to glare at the two. Applejack sighed, tilting the brim of her hat down somewhat. “For real, sugarcube, yer makin’ a scene. Lightin’ up on the yucks, won’tcha?”

“Wow, AJ. I knew you were honest! I had no idea you were friggin’ brutal!” Rainbow flew a little lower so that they were both within murmuring range. “Whewwwww. You didn’t hold back bucks in that day and age, did you?”

Applejack managed a slight smile. “Fraid not. Granny had to teach me some pretty smart lessons after my folks passed away so that I could learn to speak proper with ponyfolk.”

“Smart lessons, huh? Like, she homeschooled you?”

By now, Applejack was grinning. Memories that used to sting were now tickling her from theinside out. "No. Meanin’ she tanned my backside until I learned to trot right!”

“Ha!" Rainbow Dash laughed, then said something else.

Applejack couldn't hear beyond her own chuckling. “What was that?”

For some reason, Rainbow chose to cough and clear her throat. “Nothing! But still…” She threw a devilish smirk over her shoulder. “I would have liked to know that AJ.”

Applejack's heart beat curiously. “Really, now…?”

“Yeah. The AJ who was too driven to spare any hurt feelings.”

The farm mare's brow furrowed. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, it’s not like you tell the truth all the time.”

Orange hooves nearly tripped over the cobblestone. Curiosity bubbled into a brief froth of anger. "You sassin’ my good name, Rainbow?” Applejack glared in her direction. “If I wanted some of that, I would have hung out with the other girls!”

“I’m just saying…”

Applejacke remembered who she was talking to. Sighing, she waved a hoof and chose to egg the pegasus on. "Fine. Gimme one single instance where I said somethin’ to make my muzzle grow long!”

“Uhhhh…” Rainbow Dash fidgeted in midair. “How about that one time you told Rarity that her mane was gorgeous—like—right after the Great and Powerful Trixie zapped it and made it all green and yucky?”

Applejack's mind flickered like lightning. What was once a vague memory became vibrantly clear: Rarity with a ragged, vomit-colored mane. The unicorn looked so distressed... so close to tears that Applejack lied to her. What's more, she did so with such swiftness that her mind had almost written the entire debacle completely out of existence.

"Oh..." Applejack exhaled. She instantly felt a red hot warmth spreading across her fuzzy features. "Uhm..."

To her dismay, Rainbow Dash wasn't finished. “Or how about that one time you made Apple Bloom and her friends think that their talent act was actually pretty snazzy and not a total meltdown?!”

Applejack winced even more. She remembered feeling very bad about that the week after it happened. Still, how did Rainbow Dash know...? “Erm…”

“Oh!" Rainbow jolted in midair, gesturing. "And just two weeks ago! On Pinkie Pie’s birthday! You lied about the whole lot of us hiding out in your barn—”

“Hey!" This time Applejack swiveled to face the mare, frowning. "T’ain’t fair! That was to help put together a surprise party for our friend!”

“Still!” Rainbow’s voice cracked as she chuckled some more. “It’s not exactly what I would call a perrrrrrrrrfect recorrrrrrrrd.”

Instantly—for some reason—all of Applejack's anger, guilt, and worry faded. She was reminded that she was talking to a mere scamp with wings. Perhaps it was the devil-may-care smirk that Rainbow always sported, or the adorable, near-foalish way her voice squeaked between every other syllable.

Rainbow Dash wasn't a pony to be feared, after all. And yet—for whatever reason, when the conversation went deeply enough—Applejack felt like she was gliding down a roller coaster in her presence. Thankfully, there were moments just like this when she came to the surface for air... and knew just how to dismiss the pegasus. If not for Rainbow's sake, then most definitely for her own.

"Now..." Applejack tilted her chin up like a certain fashionista and trotted confidently along. "...yer just stretchin’ the issue."

“It’s okay, Applejack!” Rainbow Dash's voice warmly warbled from behind. "I still love ya—uhhh-uhhhh…”

Rainbow Dash suddenly sounded like she was choking on something.

Applejack stopped in mid trot. Worried, she turned and looked back...

Warm Enough

“We all love ya!" Rainbow Dash blurted, smiling a crescent moon towards Applejack. She hovered crookedly in place before a Canterlot storefront, overshadowing the edge of the Diamond District. "The gals all love ya regardless, y’know!” She brushed her mane back, with a slick grin. “Eheheheheh…”

Applejack stared... squinted... and—

"Mmmm." She shrugged and continued strolling down the street. “Standin’ for honesty and bein’ a perfect example for it aren’t exactly the same darn thang, Rainbow.”

Clearing her throat, Rainbow Dash floated gently after her. “You don’t say?”

“It’s all about strivin’ to be an example to others.” Applejack said gently. “Take you for example." The farm mare figured it was her time to lecture, and she did so unapologetically. The little scamp deserved it. "Yer loyal as all get-out, but there’s still times when you sneak out of a get-together to see a Wonderbolts Show! And don’tcha deny it!”

“Pfft! As if I would!” Rainbow Dash smirked in spite of Applejack's attack. “Thing is, I know that I’ll always be there for my friends when push comes to shove, so why sweat it?”

Applejack smiled. She couldn't agree more. “Exactly…”

“But I like to think I’ve got the lying thing all beat.”

Applejack chuckled. “Oh r-really?”

“Yup! In fact, I bet I lie less than even you do!”

Now Applejack felt like guffawing. “Ohhhhhh is that a challenge?"

“Hah! Sure. Whatever.” Rainbow Dash spun about in the air. “Just try me, girl!”

“Well, okay then.” Applejack tapped her chin in thought. She figured that Rainbow's mind functioned very close to the surface, and that she was expected to challenge the mare on her commitment to her friends, or her tendency to brag to other ponies or make exagerrated tales. For a brief moment, Applejack couldn't come up with a challenging inquistion. So—naturally—her green eyes wandered up and settled on Rainbow's flapping wings. "Just..." She murmured, more thinking aloud then talking. "Just why is it yer always floatin’ around yer friends when you could just as well be walkin’ on yer own four hooves?”

Rainbow Dash’s smile instantly fanished. A paleness came over her complexion.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. She cocked her head to the side. "Rainbow Dash?"

There was no response. It was as though the winged mare had completely blacked out.

The silence went on long enough to worry Applejack—but for completely random reasons.

"Are... are you okay, sugarcube?" Applejack tried following the line of Rainbow's sight, but she saw nothing but empty streets growing dimmer under the cascade of evening. "Is..." She looked up again. "Is it yer stomach? Did that cider get to you or somethin'?"

"The reason... why I always fly around... instead of trot on my hooves..." Rainbow Dash was still processing an answer to Applejack's question.

Applejack decided it was best to just let the weirdness play out.

Soon, it did.

"Ahem..." Rainbow smirked down at Applejack. "Cuz I'm still getting used to the ground."

"... ... ...beg yer pardon?"

"Uh... helllllo..." Rainbow Dash dove down until she was a few inches above the cobblestone. "You're an earth pony. You were born on the earth!"

"Well... yeah." Applejack slowly, awkwardly nodded. "Ain't we all?"

Rainbow Dash "knocked" on Applejack's forehead. "You think there's much earth up in Cloudsdale? Sniff the apples, girl! It's all puffy and wispy up there! Totally a different feel!"

Applejack straightened her hat and bangs from Rainbow's gesture. "Are you for real?"

"Pffft. Didn't Fluttershy tell you how she first discovered the ground? She fell from a great height! It almost killed her!" Rainbow shrugged. "Some Cloudsdalians don't even see the ground up close until they're an adult! And—poor Fluttershy—but she's never been the same ever since! I mean... whew... explains a lot, don't it?"

"Uh huh..." Applejack leaned her head to the side, squinting. "But you?"

"Well, duh! I only transferred from Cloudsdale to Ponyville just recently! So—technically—Fluttershy's had waaaaaaaaay more time to adjust than me!"

"Huh..." Applejack rubbed her fuzzy chin. "I never thought about it... but that's true." She smirked slightly. "Cloudsdalians sure are a flighty bunch, aren't they?"

"But Fluttershy can't afford to be—since so many of her critter friends that she has to take care of live on the ground. She's gotta bring herself down to their level, so to speak."

"Huh... how nice of her." Applejack cleared her throat. "So, does that mean yer still afraid of the ground?"

"No!" Rainbow Dash barked, her voice echoing across the storefronts. A few strolling ponies glanced her way, and she kept her cool. "Ahem... no, AJ... I'm not afraid of the ground."

"Hehheh..." Applejack smirked. "Are ya sure?"

"I just... don't like it so much." Rainbow Dash folded her forelimbs, giving the ground a nervous glance. "It's... so freaky." A gulp. "And dirty."

"Now yer startin' to sound like Rarity."

"Am not!" Rainbow Dash blinked. "Okay... now that I think about it, that does sound like Rarity."

Applejack merely chuckled.

"But—!" Rainbow Dash pointed. "If you tell a single pony soul about it—I swear to Celestia—you'll be wearing that big yoke of your brother's for a month... and backwards... if you catch my drift!"

"O-okay, sugarcube!" Applejack waved a hoof, still laughing. "It's okay! Ya dun have to convince me twice!" She took a deep breath, feeling warm inside. Privliged. "Yer secret's safe with me."

"Well, alright then." Rainbow Dash nodded, breathing easily.

"Sorry I ever doubted you."

"Don't be sorry. Now..." Rainbow Dash motioned forward. "Let's find more cider to fill our muzzles with."

Applejack troted after her. Smiling warmly.

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat

Cl-Clank!

Multiple tiny glasses full of spritzy gold liquid were lined up across the table between the two mares.

Applejack looked up, freckles scrunching. "Lightning cider?"

"Thanks, bud." Rainbow Dash tipped the waiter. As he trotted off to the far end of the Canterlot Bar, she leaned over and smirked. "Lightning Cider Shots, to be precise. It's only the coolest way to outdrink your friends!"

"I... can't say I'm familiar with this drinkin' game," Applejack said, fidgeting in her seat. "Or any drinkin' game, for that matter."

"For real?" Rainbow arched an eyebrow. "You and Big Mac don't just... chill on the porch and take sips every time a non-white chicken skulks by?"

"Nope. Can't say I ever have."

"... ... ...you and Winona?"

"Will ya just explain to me the dag-blame'd rules?"

"Okay... so..." Grinning devilishly to herself, Rainbow Dash's hooves blurred over the assortment of glasses. She rearranged them into two rows of five glasses each—one row in front of her and the other in front of her friend. "...Lightning Cider Shots. You've done toasts before, right? Please tell me you know how to do that."

"Well, shoot. Who doesn't, Rainbow?" Applejack smiled brightly. "Never a Hearth's Warmin' goes by without givin' cheers to one thang or another. It's tradition!"

"Well, this is tradition too! Only slightly less festive," Rainbow's voice cracked. "And funneled through the ammunition chamber of a minigun!"

"I... dun quite read ya." Applejack squinted. "Ain't a toast supposed to be delivered slow and thoughtful-like?"

"Not these kinds of toasts!" Rainbow Dash gestured. "You gotta out-toast your friend! One for each shot!"

"How do ya 'out-toast' a friend?"

"Your next toast after the one you hear your friend give has gotta be more sincere than the one she made!"

"Pfffft... are you for real?"

"Totally!"

"Yer makin' this up..."

"No I'm not! I've done this all the time with Lis—er... lots and lots of cool barflies!" Rainbow smirked. "Now I wanna teach you how to do it."

"But... why's it gotta be so fast?"

"Cuz you get this rush of blood in your head by the time you're done!" Rainbow Dash said. "And it's fun and it's silly and it helps you get to know the other pony more!"

"Hmmmm..." Applejack fiddled with one glass, watching the liquid contents shake and ripple. "So... if I was to do a silly lil' toast—say—to ear lint—"

"Shhh!" Rainbow Dash waved a hoof. "Don't give it away!"

"Just usin' a random example!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Then I guess I'd toast to dust bunnies and you'd have to toast to—I dunno—apple stems or something."

"Heh..." Applejack smirked. "Now I think I'm gettin' it." She took her hat off and placed it down on the table. "So..." She tossed her golden mane. "What's the catch?"

"... ... ... ... ..."

Silence. The bar crowd milled about in the background. Applejack was forced to cock her head to the side. "...Rainbow?"

"Ahem! Uhm... right! There's one last rule." Rainbow smiled. "If you take more than five seconds to think of a toast, you lose."

"And what happens to the loser?"

"They have to buy the next round. Then you rinse and repeat until you collapse!" Rainbow winked. "I mean... they're only shots, after all."

"Heh... reckon it does sound like a hoot."

"Then, when you have a large crowd, you go in a circle. You theme it up and stuff. Blah blah blah. Something something profit... and rotting livers. Heh."

"Hmmmm..." Applejack tapped her chin. "'Theme it up,' huh?"

"Uh huh."

"How 'bout a theme for this one?"

"Like what?"

"Oh, I dunno..." Applejack blinked. "Oooh!" She smiled. "I've got one that's most fittin'!"

"Yeah?"

Applejack nodded. "How 'bout..." She pulled one glass to her side of the table. "We toast to thangs we appreciate about each other."

"Pffft! Hahahaha!" Rainbow Dash nearly fell back in her chair. She hoofy-kicked the bar's hazy air and fought tears. "That's the sappiest thing I ever heard!"

"Sappy...?" Applejack arched an eyebrow. "So... that means yer scared?"

"Hahahahaha—ahem..." Rainbow tilted back forward, glaring across the table. "I didn't say that."

"Then put yer muzzle where yer stomach is!" Applejack gripped her first shot glass tighter. "Let's toast to each other!"

"Start low..."

"...and aim for most respectful!" Applejack grinned. "Shouldn't be too hard!"

"If you say so."

"Hey!"

"Hahahaha... fine..." Rainbow folded her forelimbs. "Since you're so feisty, you start off!"

"Me? Go first?"

"What? Don't like the pressure?"

"Oh go soak yer fat head." Applejack raised her glass. She paused. "...no more than five seconds?"

"Quit stalling."

"Right! Got it!" Applejack took a breath... then purred: "A toast to rainbow-colored lint!"

"Oh come on!" Rainbow squeaked, fetlocks flailing.

"Heh!" Applejack tilted her neck back and emptied the shot glass' contents down her muzzle in one flick of the hoof. She wiped her freckles clean and nodded. "Now draw!"

With a glint in her eye, Rainbow Dash was already raising her glass. "To Sweet Apple Acres grass spurs that cling to your fetlocks when you stroll into Sugarcube Corner!"

"Ohhhhhhh..." Applejack nodded slowly as Rainbow took her shot. "So it's gonna be like that!"

Rainbow Dash exhaled after her shot and slapped her glass upside down. "Five seconds, ya hick!"

Applejack raised a glass of cider high. "To Rainbow's unscheduled rain showers when I'm tryin' to have a picnic with Apple Bloom and Granny Smith!" She sipped.

"Ah..." Rainbow sat up in her hair, hunched over like a fuzzy blue squirrel. "Up the ante!" She raised a glass. "To Applejack always knowing when to interrupt Twilight's lectures with her slow-ass drawl!"

"HAH!" Applejack smirked as Rainbow drank. She lifted a glass. "A toast to that one time ya caught me in mid-fall and saved me from a nasty slide into the manure trench outside Golden Harvest's place!" She downed her glass, and exhaled. "Never will forget how safe and clean I felt bein' lifted off the ground by yer wings."

Rainbow Dash teetered, her eyes off-center as she cradled a glass. "Buh. Buhhhhh..." She fumbled for words suddenly. Then—just as her five seconds were almost up—she blurted: "To Sweet Apple Cider!" And she drank.

"Whew-wee!" Applejack remarked. "Jumpin' to the top of the list prematurely, ain't ya?" She held up a glass, smiling calmly. "To the most courageous equine Ponyville's ever known. We're all mighty proud of her." And she sipped.

Rainbow Dash blinked several times. Her lips were pursed. She fumbled to pick up her glass, her voice taking on a foalish squeak. "To... uh... to..." A gulp. "TotheoneponyI'dtotallywanttohaveasabigsister!" Clenching her eyes vice-tight, she downed her second-to-last glass.

"Hmmmmmmm..." Applejack smiled rosily. With no hesitance whatsoever, she picked up her last glass. "To the one pony I'd be more than happy to have as a lil' sister."

Rainbow Dash nearly spat at that. She cradled her last glass in shaking hooves. "Uhhhhhhhhh..." She dared to look at Applejack. "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Her teeth clenched as a slight tremble overcame her. "Ghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—"

"Five seconds!" Applejack jumped up and slapped the table-top. "I win! Woohoo! Yeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaa!"

Several ponies looked over, gawking.

Rainbow slumped in her seat, cradling her shot glass. She was panting heavily for some reason.

"Heh heh heh heh!" Applejack slumped in her seat across the table. "Woo! That was a mite bit more enjoyable than I thought!" She smirked. "Guess you owe me the next round of drinks, partner."

Rainbow Dash slowly woke up to the moment. She broke a small smile. "Yeah. Heh... you said it... p-partner..."

Take One Down, Pass It Around

"Heh heh heh heh... yeah, well..." Rainbow Dash—slightly sobered up from ten minutes ago—sat petitely on a stool in yet another bar, the third one that evening. She and Applejack had ordered only one drink each, but they were taking their sweet time soaking up the contents on this occasion. "...at least I got to hang out with the ponies I wanted to."

"Mmmm...!" Applejack finished her latest sip prematurely. Swallowing, she swiped the cider froth from her muzzle and spoke: "But y'all barely even talked! From what I recall, there was some hubbub over jugglin' glasses of punch all acrobatic-like and then yer Wonderbolt idols got snatched away."

Rainbow Dash blinked. Hard. "Wow. Heh..." She blushed slightly. "You listen well. Even I forgot about that crud." She winced. "Whew... almost forgot about that crud."

"Whoops! Eheh..." Applejack squirmed atop her stool. "Pardon."

"So what if I didn't get to catch their attention?" Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I mean... I'm still awesome!"

"Darn tootin'!"

"And it's not like they don't know it." Rainbow Dash smiled sternly into the rosy sunset dripping in through the bar windows. "We hung out after the Best Young Fliers' Competition, after all. It's just that..." She looked into her glass. It was half-empty, and the remaining cider suddenly didn't look so inviting. "...I was hoping for a bit more. Maybe—if they noticed me at the Gala—they would have gotten to know me on a first name's basis." A gulp, and her wingtips fluttered nervously as she looked at Applejack. "You think that's too selfish of me?"

"Rainbow, darlin', I think that's perfectly okay."

"Well... it's kinda selfish, isn't it?" Rainbow Dash winced. "I wanted more of the same from the Gala. But you?" She gestured. "You just wanted to support your folks."

"Eh..." Applejack waved a hoof, sipped, and said: "I coulda done that way better from the farm. Back home."

"Only you're not doing too well back home."

Applejack's jaw muscles clenched.

"Whoops..." Rainbow winced. "My bad. Here we are enjoying ourselves and I'm just putting a big downer on it all by bringing that back up."

"Nah... nah, no big whoop, sugarcube." Applejack bore a calm, subdued smile. "I know this is my 'vacation' and all... but reckon I'm the one who's bein' selfish-like."

"How can it be selfish to want what's best for your family?"

"T'ain't proper to think one can mince recreation with work. Well..." Applejack chuckled. "Reckon it's more foolish than selfish."

"How can you be so cool with it?"

Applejack blinked. "Am I cool with it?" Applejack looked at her reflection in her own drink. "Hmmmm... perhaps... just maybe... I am..."

Rainbow simply stared at her. Ears drooped.

Applejack finished her drink, exhaled, then squinted at Rainbow's expression. "Oh, come on, y'all..." She playfully punched Rainbow's shoulder and chuckled. "Dun let me be puttin' a damper into things. This is supposed to be a fun night of—" She belched, emerald eyes crossing slightly. "Er... well... that!"

Rainbow Dash giggled. "I didn't mean to bring it up..."

"Ehhh... it's okay..." Applejack shrugged. "It actually kinda sorta helps to talk about it."

Rainbow fidgeted in her chair. "Then... then why don't you?"

"Hmmm?"

Rainbow swirled her drink. "Talk about it more. Get it off your chest."

"Ain't we done enough of that?"

"I dunno. You tell me."

Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack.

"Hmmmm..." Applejack leaned back with a smirk. "Well..." She tilted her hat forward. "If you dun beat all. Element of Loyalty... ever persistent lil' varmint."

Rainbow smirked slightly. "I agree with everything but the 'lil' part."

"Nopony's perfect."

"Huh?"

"Meh..." Applejack fidgeted hard, then hopped out of her seat. "If we're gonna give it the gab more..." She slapped a golden tip onto the bar counter and shuffled off. "...reckon I could use a stretch of my legs."

"Yeah, why not..." Rainbow Dash didn't even bother to finish her glass. She floated after Applejack. "We've stretched our livers enough."

"Mmmmhmm."

"Besides... the cider here sucks anyways," Rainbow said loudly.

"Snkkkt—Hahahahaha! Rainbowwwwww!"

Deserve

"And if we don’t get Granny’s hip replaced soon, she might be stuck with havin’ to use a miniature carriage or some other form of wheels permanently.”

Applejack and Rianbow Dash strolled side by side down a cobblestone pathway leading towards the fringes of the Diamond District. The hour was late. Stars were peeking out through the dying sunset—one after another. Most of the hooftraffic had vanished, giving the alleyways a somber stillness as the pair of ponies stumbled along.

“Her body has taken such a toll on her throughout the years," Applejack said in a melancholic tone. It was strangely relaxing to share this—probably because of the loyal companion she was sharing it with. "Of course, she never fusses about it, ‘cuz she’s tryin’ to keep a strong face for the rest of the family. But I can see it in her face: she’s sufferin’. We’ve gone on for far too many years, puttin’ the extra expenses on the farm without so much as payin’ her back for all of her loyalty and commitment.”

“Jeez, AJ…” Raindow Dash could be heard exhaling. She hovered just a few inches above the ground, staying as close to Applejack's level as possible. The gesture was not lost on the farm mare. "I knew that getting old sucks, but when it’s somepony you know and care about…?”

Applejack nodded. “Granny’s always been so strong. That’s what makes it so darn miserable seein’ her fall apart after all these years. And it’s not just her health. She’s... worried somethin’ awful about the farm.”

The street went silent. Applejack didn't expect Rainbow Dash to have a response to that, but she was strangely soothed to hear the mare's cracking voice attempting something regardless:

“Doessssssssssss she have something to be worried about?” The lilt in Rainbow's voice at the end of that transformed that relief into instant worry.

“Oh, Rainbow..." Applejack waved a sisterly hoof, smiling bravely. "...it’s nothin’ for ya to get yer windy head all wrapped around. Runnin’ a farm ain’t exactly no vacation. There’s always bound to be some bump or another around the bend, and each passin’ year is no different from the one before it." She took a breath. "We’ve managed before and we’ll manage again!”

"If you ask me, Applejack, I’d say you were getting dangerously close to cracking your Element in half!”

Applejack blinked hard. Her heart went cold, and she tried shattering it with a steely frown aimed in Rainbow's direction. "I am so bein’ honest! The Apple family and I are totally gonna pull through the next two apple buck seasons!” Her own words felt distant. She winced, her ears folding back. “Somehow…”

“What’s really going on, Applejack?” Rainbow flew into Applejack's vision, gesturing at herself with remarkable softness. “You can tell me.”

“Oh Rainbow…” Applejack nevertheless avoided her gaze. She looked off towards where the glow of the sunset met the inevitable curtain of night oozing over the mountain, the city, and all of Equestria surrounding. “It just ain’t proper conversation for spendin’ a lovely afternoon like this with one’s best friend.”

Rainbow Dash smirked. “Wanna try me?”

“Please, sugarcube…”

“What? You think I’m not brave enough to take it?”

“Huh?!” Applejack squinted up at her. “Heck, no!”

“Then let ‘er rip, girl!” Rainbow Dash touched down in front of the mare. She stood so close that her ruby eyes looked brighter than ever. “I’m all ears!”

Applejack took one look at her. A heartbeat. Two. She decided to laugh it off, if only to excuse the need for releasing so much air from her lungs.

“Pffft… ‘thick fuzzy ears’ are more like it.”

Rainbow tilted her chin up like Rarity. "Yeah, well, they’re your friend’s ears all the same.”

Applejack looked at Rainbow... then away. The mirth of the night had dissolved quite swiftly, and in the sober lucidity of the moment she felt alone... and yet she wasn't. She clung to the only notion that warmed her. “It… it ain’t good, Rainbow.”

“Oh?” Rainbow cocked her head aside. “Define ‘ain’t good.’”

Applejack hesitated, but there was no stopping it at this point. Rainbow was just too good at clearing the skies. "Things have been pl-plum awful this year and the one before last, Rainbow. What, between Big Mac bein’ injured, the parasprite infestation, and now the Gala bein’ a bust…” She shook inside and out. By the time she felt her eyes watering, she reralized there was no turning back. She spoke like a frightened teenager trying to find answers from Granny Smith... like urging water from a stone. “I don’t want the other girls knowin’ about this, but—at the rate which things are goin’ downhill—I fear that..." The words bled out like an open wound. "...that I may have to sell half the land.”

Rainbow's reaction was just as ghastly as Applejack could have imagined, and that's what hurt the most. "Half of Sweet Apple Acres?”

Applejack gulped hard. “Or all of it…”

Silence.

"But... but that's crazy!"

There was a flash of anger, but Applejack wasn't feeling it towards Rainbow Dash. Nevertheless, she frowned as she said: "No, it's reality. Sometimes life doesn't throw you the cards you wanna be dealt with. So you have to make do."

"AJ, I know that. Believe me, I understand. But..." Rainbow squinted, trembling slightly. "To sell off Sweet Apple Acres? It's not just about your family... it's about Ponyville! I mean—that place is everything!"

"Don't you think I know that?!"

"I... I wasn't trying to pour salt in your wound, girl."

"I know, it's just..." Applejack ran a hoof over her face. She sighed... sighed again... then composed herself. "... ... ...ain't nopony's fault, Rainbow. I'm sorry for gettin' sore over it."

Rainbow Dash merely bit her lip.

"I was hopin'... I was bettin' on the Gala helpin' out. But hope ain't everythang. At some point or another you gotta come to terms with the things in yer life that you can't fix."

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, squirming for some reason. "Sure... there are things in life that can't be fixed... but... your life?" She looked up, ears folded. "Your life is... awesome, Applejack. It really is. And... and you deserve better."

Applejack lowered her hoof and looked at Rainbow with a lethargic expression.

Rainbow bit her lip even harder.

More and more stars peaked through the darkness over them both.

At last, Applejack muttered, "I have what I deserve, Rainbow."

Rainbow held her breath for a moment.

"Mrmmmff... t'ain't nothin' to mope over." Applejack trotted past her friend. "Land's sakes... it's gettin' late! The girls must have given up on us."

"Yeah... I guess..."

"Think it's time to mosey on back to Twilight's..."

"Yeah..."

The two slumped onwards in awkward silence.

Dare

"Heh... well, will you look at that." A tired Applejack smiled as she and Rainbow Dash reached the brick-laid intersection in Canterlot's western apartment district. She pointed at the only house they both recognized. "We're here already. I swear, Twilight's folks' place always looks bigger on the outside than on the inside. Explains a lot about Twilight's humble personality, ya reckon?"

"Uh... yeah. Sure, I guess," Rainbow Dash replied with a limp tail-flick. She had been noticeably subdued the entire rest of the stroll.

Applejack chalked it up to the weight of cider in both of their heads. "I imagine the gals must be worried about where we've been all night," she muttered. "Especially Rarity. That mare can weave a tale somethin' awful. Heheheheh..." She fidgeted for a bit, then looked pointedly at Rainbow. "I... wanna thank ya for hearin' me out, sugarcube. I know I was nothin' but a blubberin' mess, but... I suppose it helps to vent every now and then."

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash nodded limply. "You're probably right."

Applejack blinked. A flicker of worry darted across her heart and back again. She tilted her hat back so she could get a better look at her friend. "Rainbow...?"

The petite pegasus slowly returned the look. Her shoulders were sagged and her ears folded.

Applejack fought a nervous lump in her throat. "You... you okay, darlin'?"

"Hmm? Me?" The devilish confidence returned to Rainbow's vocal cords. "Oh, you bet! I'm always chillaxed."

"Uh huh..." Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Rainbow, if ya don't mind me sayin', it looks like the energy's been completely sapped from ya altogether."

"Pffft. It's been a long day, AJ."

Applejack remembered all the things she had said—had confessed about Sweet Apple Acres. It was so easy to list off the innumerable problems plaguing her that she feared she had unleashed far too much on her friend's shoulders. "You sure that's all it is?"

"Pretty sure." Rainbow even smiled like the scamp that she was.

Applejack breathed a bit more easily. "Good, 'cuz I hate to think I brought yer spirits down on account of all my ramblin' about the farm woes."

"Nah. We're all strong ponies here."

"Heh... darn tootin'."

Silence.

"Well, best that we get settled in without wakin' the gals..." Applejack turned towards the apartment's front steps.

"Uhm." Rainbow's voice cracked, "I'm... gonna hang out here for a while."

Applejack froze upon hearing that. She looked over her shoulder. "Oh?"

"Yeah." Rainbow flexed her spine like a feline. "Hmmmmff... Figured I'd stretch my wings for a bit."

Applejack blinked. "This late at night?"

"Pfft. No rules against cruisin' over the rooftops of Canterlot."

Applejack's head rolled over previous conversations. "Ya... sure about that? These ain't exactly Ponyvillean residences."

"I'll be fine, Applejack." Rainbow Dash said firmly with a smirk. "You head on inside. Catch some Z's before they run away from you."

"What..." Teetering, a tired farm mare blinked up at the apartment. "...what should I tell the girls?"

"Nothing! Your snoring's enough to wake them up!"

Rainbow's sass was the happiest thing to listen to in over an hour. Nevertheless, Applejack responded to it predictably. "Ungh! I do not snore!"

"Yeah you buckin' doooooo." Rainbow winked with a smirk. "It's not honest to tell a lie, Applejack."

"I swear by it, Rainbow, I don't!"

"I rode in the berth next to you on the way to Appleloosa," Rainbow droned. "You sound like a horse."

"Hmmmph..." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Try not to fly into any lampposts while you take wing, ya hear?"

"Yeah, I'll try not to."

Applejack made her way to the front door. But just as she reached it—

"Uhm... AJ?"

Fighting the urge to yawn, Applejack looked back one last time. "Yeah, darlin'?"

Rainbow Dash's stance had turned soft again. She repeated something she had said earlier: "You... uh... you really deserve better, y'know?"

Applejack said nothing.

Rainbow contiued, and she looked even smaller and smaller as the words rolled out of her. "You and the farm, that is. You... really deserve more."

Applejack wasn't in the mood to repeat herself. So she said the only thing she knew that could drive the point home: "T'ain't about what a pony deserves, Rainbow Dash, but what she dares to accomplish in spite of the worst stuff that fate has to throw at her."

Rainbow had no response to that.

Applejack wasn't expecting any. She opened the door with ease... and stepped into Twilight's family household. When the door closed behind her, the mare felt naked. And a little bit guilty. She leaned back against the frame with a strange new weakness, fighting an invasive fog creeping in through the corner of her vision.

There were voices in the next room. Twilight... Rarity... Fluttershy... Pinkie Pie...

Her other friends had arrive long before, and they were in cheerful spirits.

Applejack did what she always did. She stood tall, breathed in deep, and fought the tears away. Once the fog had cleared, the pain remained—deep inside—where it belonged.

She thought of something that could give her the strength to trot forward... even smile.

Ruby eyes. Colorful threads. A cracking voice.

Soon, Applejack was smirking, and she strolled into the cloud of friendly voices, prepared for anything.

Perspire

"...and so then we was both pretty much a barrel of hootin' and hollerin', and before we knew it we was stumblin' from one pub to another. Drinkin' our fair share of cider—for sure. But not to excess. Mind you, we ain't fixin' to ruin any other ponies' night on the town... especially the ponies who spend all their nights here. Even still..." Applejack took her hat off and smiled apologetically at the mares assembled in Twilight's living room. "...I'm mighty sorry for not waitin' for the rest of you gals. I reckon we got carried away, what with this bein' a lazy sort of vacation and all."

"Ohhhhhhh Applejaaaaaaaack," Rarity cooed, then giggled. She also seemed inebriated—albeit with friendship moreso than liquor. "Don't be so hard on yourselves! We're glad that you and Rainbow Dash got to have some friendly catching up with each other!"

"Especially after we dragged you both around to shop after shop... salon after salon..." Fluttershy hid part of her face behind her mane. "...you must have been so very bored."

"We didn't want to interrupt your reverie," Twilight said, squatting playfully on the sofa besides Pinkie Pie. "To be perfectly honest—we started talking about our old school days and one thing led to another and..."

"Hurricane Gossip led us back to here!" Pinkie Pie giggled. "You know how it gets!"

"Heh... reckon so..." Applejack plopped her hat back on. "Where's Spike?"

"Already fast asleep, the poor dear," Rarity murmured. "Tomorrow, we're going somewhere the precious little Spikey-Wikey wants to go first! Seems only fitting."

"And you and Rainbow should get your say too!" Twilight Sparkle smiled. "Say... just where is Rainbow Dash anyways?"

"Oh... she felt like goin' for a bit of a stroll," Applejack said with a shrug. "You ain't the only mares who got to squawkin'. Reckon she feels like airing her head out a bit. That's how pegasus do things."

"We do?" Fluttershy blinked.

Applejack blinked back.

"Oh! Well... uhm..." Fluttershy fidgeted. "If Rainbow Dash feels like being alone for a bit... who are we to stop her?"

"She... uh..." Applejack gulped. "She just seemed fine and dandy to me!"

"Well, if you think so, then so do the rest of us, Applejack," Twilight said.

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie grinned. "Because the last thing we'd ever expect Dashie to do is go skulking around the streets and back alleys of Canterlot at night, causing all sorts of trouble and ending up lost in a ditch somewhere!" She smiled. That smile twitched. And then—"Who wants more caramel popcorn?"

"Oooh!" Rarity jumped in her seat. "I do!"

"Me too!" Twilight chirped.

"Heehee..." Fluttershy flapped her wings and fluttered gently across the room. "Everypony relax. I'll go get some."

"Awwwww... that's so sweet of you, Fluttershy," Twilight said.

"Well, it's the least I can do."

"Rarity, where were you last?"

"Oh! That's right! My high school prom! Oh... you won't believe how many strapping young beaus were lining up to ask me out to the great Enchantment Under the Seahorse Dance!"

"Heeheehee! Now this I'm just dying to hear."

Applejack chuckled. "Well... uh... I think I'll be taking a shower now." A breath. "Might... get a nightcap early, y'all." Another breath—also virtually ignored. "Some of us... fancy 'skulking' in dreamland." She smiled nervously. Only she could have heard that last bit. When she finally stumbled off to the Sparkle family restroom, she did so stumbling... her eyes gazing miles beyond the opaque walls around her.

When she finally stood beneath the cool cascade of water, it wasn't enough to outwash a strange curtain of cold sweat overcoming her...

Midnight In the Garden of Apples and Insomnia

Applejack wasn't the type of pony to take long showers, but tonight was different. It wasn't because she was on vacation either.

For minutes on end, the mare stood limply, her fuzzy forehead pressed against the tile of Twilight Sparkle's shower stall. She gazed directly into the linoleum as she felt warm water cascading all around her.

She couldn't shake the last few words that leapt out of Pinkie Pie's muzzle. And whenever she thought she was finally in the clear, her mind wandered to the sight of Rainbow Dash under cold street lights. She looked so small... so melancholic... so devoid of the usual warmth and daring and bravado.

On one hoof, it had been a long night of trotting across the city, drinking shots at multiple bars.

On the other hoof...

Applejack clenched her eyes shut. She sighed once... several times. At long last, she summoned the strength to wash herself clean, dry off, and shuffle lethargically out of the bathroom.

Applejack was the first to retire. She lay on her back atop her sleeping bag, staring up at the glow-in-the-dark star stickers that dotted Twilight Sparkle's bedroom ceiling.

In the distance, through the door, she could hear several giggling voices emanating from the far end of the apartment. Her friends' breaths were warm and mirthful—as was the thin amber light peeking in from beneath the door. Applejack focused on the thin orange line, hoping it would fade to static and fill her eyes with slumber.

That wish did not come true.

Grumbling under her breath, Applejack turned over and forced her freckled cheek deeper into her pillow. She closed her eyes again.

Sleep eluded her.

The mare opened one eye... then the other.

She was surrounded by empty sleeping bags... but her eyes fell on one mat in particular. It featured a white cloud and a rainbow lightning bolt...

...but no Rainbow Dash.

Clenching her jaw tight, Applejack shut her eyes...

...and tried again.

Nearly two hours had passed.

Yawning... teetering... smiling deliriously—the rest of Applejack's friends had all shuffled in and collapsed into their respective sleeping spots.

All but one.

Applejack knew this because she spent the whole time bright-and-awake, staring with bloodshot eyes at the empty mat between her and the rest of the girls.

The farm mare breathed in... breathed out...

The colors of Rainbow's sleeping mat seeped through the abject darkness of the bedroom.

Applejack bit her lip.

She had seemed so sad....

...so lonesome...

... ... ...just like Apple Bloom after a bad day at school.

Pathetic lil' varmint...

She looked like she needed a hug.

She needed...

Applejack raised her forelimbs and gripped her head.

"Rrnnnnnnngh..."

She tightened her eyelids shut. Her teeth gnashed.

Then... at last...

Two emerald eyes popped back open.

"... ... ...consarn it."

Applejack practically leapt to her hooves. Hesitantly, she shuffled across the room, careful to avoid stepping on her slumbering friends. At last, she reached Twilight's bedside. Applejack fidgeted a bit... then finally leaned in to perform a drawling whisper:

"Twilight... Twilight? Yoohoo, darlin'... I'm so very sorry to bother you..."

"Mmmmmmm..." A lavender unicorn scrunched her lavender muzzle and curled her lavender body into a fetal position. She reached out in her sleep—finding Spike's scaley figure and hugging the sleeping dragon closer. "Mmmmmmm-Applejackkkkk...?"

"Yes, sugarcube. It's me. I... uhm..." Applejack grimaced, glancing towards the window into Canterlot lamplight. "...I'm terribly sorry. But I'm worried for Rainbow Dash. It's so late, and the dang mare isn't back yet. And I'm gettin' the nasty feelin' that she ain't her proper self... at least not accordin' to how I saw her last. So... uh... I'm gonna go out and fetch her right quick. Is that okay with you? I dun want y'all gettin' worried or nothin'..."

"Mmmmmm... it's okay, Applejack..." Twilight smiled in her sleep. "...only a precise hit... will set off a chain reaction... hee-hee... book smuggling pirates... zzzzzzzzzzz..."

Applejack blinked. Her muzzle lingered open. "... ... ...well, okay then." She saluted, turned briskly, and made to gallop out the bedroom entirely.

She paused halfway, though. After a few seconds of contemplation, she rushed to the window... and cracked it partially open.

Then, taking a deep breath, she grabbed her hat and exited briskly. Soon she was out in the cold streets of Canterlot, running at full sprint.

I Wandered Empty Streets Down Past the Shop Displays

Author's Note

https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/759539/brb-again

I Wandered Empty Streets Down Past the Shop Displays

Trotting through Canterlot at night was nothing like a stroll through Sweet Apple Acres, or Ponyville for that matter. The city was placed at such a great altitude that the thinness in the air drew Applejack's breath until it was ragged. She hadn't noticed it before, probably because prior events had kept her hot and bothered so consistently. But now—rushing through the streets and alleyways of the capital city—the farm mare found it hard to stay focused... much less awake. More than once, she felt dizzy... almost as if she'd black out. Applejack couldn't imagine for the life of her how a pegasus could manage to be so active and energetic at altitudes twice as high as where she was now. Nevertheless, Applejack continued her frantic search, for such a petite pegasus was somewhere to be found. Surely.

Lamposts had been lit sporadically in each district, but they were very dim lights at best. This was fine; a cloudless sky rained starlight onto the streets and courtyards of the urban domain. It took several minutes, but Applejack learned to relax her eyes. In so doing, she felt as though she could see for miles. There was such cleanness and clarity to the air that it was almost relaxing. A shame—then—that Applejack's search was growing more and more panicked.

"Heavens to Betsy... just where is that varmint?"

Applejack's chosen words were grunted with a venomous slant, but she couldn't find the strength to follow it up with a frown. Her ears drooped noticeably as she wandered from street to street, scanning the heavens for a blue-winged sign... and finding none. How far could Rainbow Dash had flown? Was she stupid and impulsive enough to have glided towards the uninhabited side of the mountain? Just how did she plan on getting back to Twilight's apartment in time for the dawn?

The streets were curiously vacant. At first, this worried Applejack. She assumed there might have been a curfew of sorts in effect. And yet—after a half hour of meandering through the streets—she finally stumbled on a few ponies. A group of teenaged unicorns loitered on the edge of a courtyard, joking and laughing about something. When Applejack wandered by, they all took one glance at her hat and fell into dead silence—smirking like jesters.

Applejack rolled her eyes, ignoring their snickers as she galloped on into the next district. "Reckon it wouldn't be proper to try shoutin' her name to the rooftops." A gulp. "Dun wanna wake all of Canterlot."

Or did she?

The last time she had seen Rainbow Dash, the mare hadn't exactly looked like the most cheerful pony. Something was egging her, and it burned Applejack to realize she had failed to drag the truth out of her good friend earlier when they had the luxury of chatting together.

Applejack may not have been the Element of Loyalty, but she prided herself in exhibiting that virtue all the same. If something was indeed wrong with Rainbow Dash, she was obligated to fix it before it turned into a terrible mess. But now that she wasn't able to see so much as a single feather-strand of her dear, dear friend...

"I should find a guard... a police pony..." Applejack clenched her teeth. "...ask if anyone has seen her. But... but that might put her in trouble. Dang it... that scamp's pride would be hurt, and... and..."

Applejack wasn't certain why, but she was starting to experience slight heart palpitations. And this time she couldn't excuse it on the thin air.

"Rrrrrrgh..." Stopping at an intersection, Applejack faced a lamppost and lightly smacked her fuzzy forehead against it several times. "...think, AJ. Darn it. Think." She clenched her eyes shut. "If you was Rainbow... and you was feelin' mighty mopey-like... where would be the first place you would head off to?"

Silence.

"... ... ..." Applejack's green eyes flew open. "Awwwwwww shucks. She would, wouldn't she?"

With a lethargic groan, Applejack turned tail...

...and galloped straight for the Diamond District.

Where Everpony Doesn't Know Your Name

"Hello! Uhm... hi! Could ya just—consarnit!"

Applejack pushed her trot into a brisk gallop, approaching a pair of ponies shuffling out of a closed bar in the Diamond District. They were just locking up when she approached. They glanced at her with dispassionate expressions.

"Uhm... yes... howdy..." Applejack came to a stop, panting. She lowered her hat and smiled politely at the pair. "So sorry to bother y'all. But... have you seen a lil' pony around these parts...?" She winced at her words, sighed, and spoke further: "A pegasus. Kinda sorta... er... fun-sized, if that makes any sense."

"Hmmph," one pony hmmph'd.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Is... that a 'yes' or a 'no?'"

"Ahem..." The other Canterlot bartender pocketed away his keys and squinted at Applejack haughtily in the streetlight. "Could you possibly be more specific?"

"Er..." Applejack raised her hoof out and lowered it to about scamp-level. "About yay-high. Sky-blue coat. Matchin' feathers..."

The two ponies stared blankly at her.

Applejack blinked. "She's got a rainbow-colored mane." Another blink. "I mean it! Every dang color of the rainbow! You couldn't miss her!"

"Sorry." The stallion's nostrils flared. "Haven't seen her."

"Well..." Applejack took a bold step forward before the two could trot off to their homes. "M-maybe y'all heard her!"

"'Heard' her?" the other pony droned.

"Well... yeah! She's got a very distinctive voice!"

The stallion sighed, rubbing the fuzzy slope of his muzzle. "Would you wish to describe it...?"

"Very foal-like... but also kinda adolescent too."

Applejack spoke.

"Has this lilt to it.. and it cracks a lot..."

Applejack smiled.

"Kinda adorable—when you think about it—but you'd have to get to know her better before you heard it in full, since she's always puttin' on airs. Pegasus bravado and all that."

Silence.

Applejack's smile faded.

"Well?"

Three waitresses standing outside their establishment merely gaped at Applejack.

"I... uh..."

"I haven't heard anypony that sounds like that..."

"Yeah... you sure you shouldn't be looking for her in some sort of hospitable or something?"

"Sounds like a respiratory disease."

"What?!" Applejack recoiled. "No!" She shook her head, then frowned. "Look, lil' missies, she's just as healthy as the rest of us! Just small as the dickens and fuzzy as all get-out!"

"'Fuzzy,' huh?" One waitress smiled.

"There's an awful lot of that going around." Another giggled.

"You sure the mare you're looking for isn't in the Red Awning District?"

Applejack clenched her teeth. "She's a friend."

"Oh, I'm quite sure."

A sigh, and Applejack rubbed her temple. "Do any of y'all at least remember seein' her mane color?"

"Would you mind describing it again?"

"Colorful!" Applejack hollered.

"What?!" a stallion shouted back from across the bar.

Loud dance music blared out of nearby speakers. Young ponies danced and gyrated all across the cramped nightclub. Applejack had to lean clear over the drinks of wincing patrons to throw her words into the bartender's ears.

"I'm tellin' ya—she's got every color of the dang rainbow in her mane!" Applejack grimaced as a continuous bass rhythym rattled the glasses between them. "Like... instead of a pot of gold at the end of it, you've got her purdy lil' head! Her name is 'Rainbow Dash' for cryin' out loud! She lurves winnin' trophies and talkin' about the Wonderbolts!"

"What?!?"

"The Wonderbolts! It's some fancy sky cheerleadin' squad! Or somethin'! I think!" Applejack winced, rubbing her ears. "Dag nabbit! Just what the heck is all this dang noise?!"

"Cyan Sings!"

"Huh?!"

"Cyan Sings!" the stallion repeated, this time smiling at the music.

"... ... ...what in apple's name is a cyan?!"

"A color, apparently!"

Nearby dancers chuckled.

Applejack wasn't amused. "Look, partner, my friend isn't exactly in a good state of brain-noodlin'! She could be rollin' over in the gutter right about now! She ain't got time for none of yer fancy hoof-tappin' music! So could you help me out here?!"

"There are a lot of flashing lights in this club! I can't hardly ever tell a pony's mane color!" the stallion hollered back. "Could you give me a different description of your friend?!"

"Like what?!"

"Well... what's her attitude like?! I'm a good guage on that when it comes to customers!"

"She... lurves life," Applejack murmured thoughtfully. A cool gust of mountain air kicked at her blonde threads, and she gazed off into the glow of a neon light. "She lurves every moment of livin'. You can hear it in her voice... see it in the way her tail flicks... heh..."

A tender smile graced her freckles.

"...she only boasts all proud-like about her accomplishments 'cuz she reckons it's the whole point of livin'. After all, t'ain't a bad thang if all of life is a competition. It only means yer workin' that much harder to do that which you do better. And who here in Celestia's Equestria doesn't fancy livin' life to its fullest? Even when it's to its fastest?"

A soft sigh. She tilted the brim of her hat back.

"Yes... I'd say she does everythang passionately. Whether it's bein' loyal to her friends... defendin' the ponies she cares 'bout... or kickin' the flank of some nasty varmint that deserved it. She only wants to be the best... and she brings out the best in everypony around her... even if she has to tear it out by bein' an annoyin' lil' scamp about it. I must say... life's only been excitin' ever since she came around..."

A dull-eyed mare nodded back at her. "'Exciting,' huh? Well, that's one way of putting it."

Applejack jerked in place. "Huh???" She leaned forward. "Does that mean you saw her?!"

"Yeah..." The waitress leaned back against the doorframe of the bar entrance. "...I saw her, alright."

"Whewwww doggy!" Applejack reared her front hooves.

"I saw her when I threw her out," the waitress spat.

Applejack landed back on all fours, ears drooping. "Whewwwwwwwwwww doggy..."

Cider Trail Rules

"Did..." Applejack winced, rubbing the back of her head. "D-did she refuse to pay?"

"Pffft..." The waitress before the Diamond District bar blew out the side of her muzzle before rolling her eyes. "Paying wasn't the problem. She could have paid a Saddle Arabian ransom and still it wouldn't have been enough for the trouble she caused."

Applejack shrugged. "So a pony decides to guzzle her passions down. I imagine that happens all the time."

"Yeah, well... most ponies don't try to start a fight with framed pictures on the wall."

A hard blinked rippled across Applejack's face. "Buh?"

"The first thing I know—this rainbow fruit basket is trying to go to war with an antique photograph beside the bar!" The waitress grunted. "She kept going on and on about 'how dare you rob from my friends!'"

"Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Applejack grimaced. Hard. "Yer sayin' she tried to take a photograph of yers to the woodshed?"

"Got pretty damn close to shattering the glass too! Look, property damage is one thing." The waitress huffed. "But when my other customers are threatened...?"

"Heh..." Applejack waved a hoof. "Big whoop. My friend's a little'un. What's the worst she could do?"

The mare's nostrils flared. "She threatened to suplex my manager. My boss weighs more than three of you combined!"

"Er... yeah... well..."

"Are you really her friend, ma'am?"

"Uhm." Applejack gulped. "Eeyup?"

"Then—for her sake—I hope you track her down and stop her." The waitress tilted her chin up and began trotting back into the establishment. "Preferrably with a crowbar!"

"Hey—wait!" Applejack stuck her hoof in the door. "Just one second, missy. Please." Her eyes narrowed. "You done shoo'd her out of here, right?"

"Tartarus, yes! That little spitfire is a menace!"

"Do ya happen to know where she flew off to?"

"Pfffft... probably Lickety Splits."

"Awwwwwww shoot." Applejack pounted, staring off into the Canterlot skyline against the stars. "That's probably plum across town."

"You're really not from around here, are ya?"

"Errr... no?"

The mare pointed past Applejack's shoulder with a bored expression. "Lickety Splits is across the street."

Applejack blinked. She turned around, glancing at the flickering neon signs. "Oh. Well... shucks. Y'all have enough drinks here to make a sea serpent drunk."

"Sea serpents, I'd be okay with." The mare growled, slamming the door shut. "Go find your friend before she punches a hole in the foundation of this mountain!"

Thud!

Applejack winced. "Well..." Tilting her hat back, she marched firmly across the street. "...at least she didn't go far."

Two surly—looking stallions stood side by side at the entrance to Lickety Splits, their forelimbs crossed.

"Yeah, we threw the crazy bitch out."

"Hey!" Applejack frowned. "My friend ain't crazy!"

"Says you!" One frowned. "She spilled cider all over the place, complaining it wasn't 'Sweet Apple Acres finest!'"

Applejack's ears drooped. "Awwwwww hayseeds..."

"Then she threatened an old wood carving in the corner of the bar! Blaming 'him' for 'starting the cruddy Barnyard Bargains' chain!"

Applejack's ears drooped harder. Her freckles turned rosy. "Awwwwww hayseeds."

One stallion sniffled momentarily, in spite of his frown. "Then she called me a 'melon fudge.'"

"Uh huh. Look, y'all..." Applejack leaned in closer. "Did ya turn her in to the local authorities or something?"

"Pffft. No. We tossed her into the streets like the gutter trash she is!"

"What?!" This time, Applejack was frowning. "Why the hay didn't y'all call the police?"

"Look, lady... we get touristy punks like this all the time, rolling in and spending their bits and getting tipsy-as-buck. It's just not worth the paper-work to get the police involved every. Single. Time." The stallion snorted. "We've got a business to run for the next few hours, after all."

"Yeah, well..." Applejack tilted her hat back angrily. "Where I come from, folk who act like this are just ponies who need help."

"Well, looks to me that—wherever it is you come from—you don't do that good of a job of helping your own friends."

Applejack blinked at that. She sighed long and hard. "Yeah... well..." She gazed heavenward, scratching her chin. "Ahem... I'm hopin' like heck to amend that..."

"You ask me, it's probably too late." The stallions backed up into the bar entrance. "The way this crazy mare was going on, she's liable to start a wrestling match with a dragon."

"Wouldn't be the first time."

"Heh. Then she really is hopeless."

Whud!

The door slammed shut.

"Sonuva... mrmmmnngh..." Applejack kicked at the cobblestone street of the Diamond District. "Mmmmmmgnhh—biscuit-eater!" A heavy sigh, and she began pacing wildly through the nearby courtyard. "What in Celestia's name am I gonna do now?"

She tapped her chin.

"The girls... I-I should go fetch the girls!" Applejack's eyes briefly lit up in the starlight. "Twilight knows her way around this place! And—if nothin' else—maybe she could curry favor with the Princess!"

Silence.

"Awwwwww shoot..." Applejack grimaced. "Poor Rainbow would never forgive me if I let the others see her in this state, though."

She thought of what the bartenders and bouncers said.

'Sweet Apple Acres finest...'

'Cruddy Barnyard Bargains chain... ...'

"This..." Applejack's eyes watered. "This is all my fault." A sniffle. "I shoulda been stronger. Openin' up dun help nothin'. Especially not with... not with..."

Her hooves trembled for only a second, and then she stood firmly once again.

"Ain't no time for that." A strong breath. "I gotta find Rainbow. Poor thang needs me. Me and me alone. But..." She looked all around. "...where in tarnation should I look? She could be anywhere—"

A drop of rain fell with an audible tap across the brim of Applejack's hat.

"Huh?" She looked up. "But there are no clouds—"

A second drop of moisture splattered across her freckles.

"Guh!" At first, the mare winced. But—just as she was wiping the substance off her muzzle—her nose got a very clear whiff. "Hmmmm... huh? Cider?" A blink. "But where—?"

She heard a hiccuping sound... followed by a voice-cracking giggle.

"... ... ...Rainbow?"

Applejack looked up.

A petite silhouette streaked across the sky, carrying a thick mug in its fetlock. Wings flapped. A tail flicked.

"Rainbow!!!"

Panting, Applejack galloped swiftly up the street, her head tilted up the entire time as she locked in on her target...

Rainbow Down

"Rainbow...?! Rainbow...!!"

Applejack galloped briskly through the streets of Canterlot.

In the emptiness of the mountain capitol all around her, the farm mare's panting voice echoed like a beating drum. Halfway through her sprint, she realized what a scene she could potentially be making. Sucking her breath in, she focused simply on pursuing the target ahead of her.

Rainbow Dash was a faint shadow-against-shadows. It was too dim amidst the starlight to make out her facial features, and she was too far away for Applejack to hear her voice. Nevertheless—judging from the veering path the pegasus flew and the limp way her wings were flapping—Applejack somehow knew that there was something amiss. She soon figured that even if she continued shouting the mare's voice, Rainbow Dash wouldn't be in the position to respond.

"Darn it...!" Applejack hissed, galloping faster and faster. She rounded street corners and courtyards and store fronts, struggling just to keep the petite pony in her sights. "Darn it, Rainbow Dash!" Her ears twitched beneath her hat as she struggled to maintain speed. "Why couldn't ya curl into a lil' fuzzy ball like Fluttershy—or any other normal pony?!"

Just as she said this, her target vanished beyond a row of towering scaffolds. It was then that Applejack realized she had stumbled upon the fringes of the Central District. A block or two away—and she'd be stumbling beneath the bulwarks of the royal palace.

"Awwwwwwwwww apple rot!" Applejack cursed. Panting, she looked behind and ahead of her.

It was way past the witching hour. The streets of Canterlot were practically deserted. Applejack couldn't tell if this starlit desolation was "normal" or not, but she certainly wasn't complaining. Even still, there was no time to wait around and count her blessings.

"Heavens to betsy... I-I better catch her!" Applejack gulped and pushed on ahead. "Better catch her before she flies into the Palace or somethin'!" She dashed around street lamps and bricklaid buildings. Each empty street she saw filled her heart with palpitating relief. "Darn it... you'll never live it down, girl! I swear..."

At long last, Applejack came upon a straightaway. It was an arduous uphill gallop, but she cleared it with sweat and grit. Soon—as a reward—she saw a flash of colorful tail-hairs flicking up above. There was a hiccuping sound, followed by a cracked voice giggling. She was closing in on her target.

"Thattagirl, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack huffed and puffed. She managed a slight smirk as she gained upon the teetering mare's tiny shadow. "Thattagirl! Just coast on down! Coast on down! That's it!"

Rainbow Dash drunkenly descended...

...straight towards the palace walls.

"No! No! Pull up, Goddess-darn it! Pull up!" Applejack's voice rattled the stained glass windows forming alongside her. She skidded to a stop, clamping a hoof over her muzzle. As she lingered sweatily on a side street, she could see the gates to the Royal Sisters' palace looming just up ahead. At long last, there was a sign of life. No less than eight guards patrolled the front entrance, their pristine armor glittering in the starlight. The bulwarks were tall, imposing, and lined with even more guard posts.

...and Rainbow Dash had just floated over the southwest ramparts... gliding into the royal gardens beyond.

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww cornshucks," Applejack squeaked, ears drooping.

< ^ > < ^ >

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh galloshes..."

Applejack paced and paced in a nervous, fruit-shaped circle. A layer of sweat traced the edges of her fresh hoofprints on the outer palace lawn.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh great gallopin' galloshes, y'all."

She stopped only to bite her bottom lip... and gaze at the looming palace walls.

They remained in place, ever solid and ever real. Nothing could change the fact that Rainbow Dash had just flown over them.

"Nrnghgggggggh..."

Her freckles turned red and redder. Her ears drooped to the point of falling off. The mare took a look behind her.

The outer fringes of Canterlot urbanity lingered under cold lamplight.

Near hyperventilation, the mare looked ahead once more.

The walls continued to loom. And just beyond the nearest corner, no less than a dozen guards paced about. They looked cold and resilient and ready to swing a spear through a farm pony's blonde skull upon first sight.

"Okay... okay..." Applejack stammered wetly between even wetter heartbeats. She swallowed a lump down her throat and leaned against a patch of hard wall to steady her weakening limbs. "It's alright. It's... n-not the end of the world." She exhaled through pursed lips. "She ain't her normal self. They won't be blamin' her for bein' no assassin or burglar or nothin'. Just... a sl-slap on the hoof and some jail-time! That's for sure!"

She inhaled—shakily.

"But... but then again... she'd never live it all down."

Her left eyebrow twitched.

"...and them Wonderfolks will never let her into their fold. She'd have to get cloud work far from Canterlot... or Cloudsdale... or even P-Ponyville!"

An exhale, and her lungs nearly collapsed.

"And... a-and she'll blame it all on me! Once she knows that I was trailin' her like a fuzzy vulture!" Her green pupils shrank to pinpricks. "She... m-might never talk to me ever again!"

And it was then that Applejack, froze altogether.

Breathless, she looked up the full height of the wall. She glanced right—towards the guards. A beat... and then she glanced left.

She saw trees. Rows and rows of lonely, unnoticed, buckable trees. One in particular stood close to the wall and stretched high... high... higher.

Applejack finally breathed again. With determined hoofsteps, she trotted briskly—albeit quietly—towards her new destination.

"Grnnnngh..." Applejack grunted. "Mrmmffff..."

She couldn't help it. She hadn't exerted herself this much since her last blue ribbon contest. Nevertheless, there the mare was—crawling up the wall. She accomplished this by placing her spine flat up against the palace wall and using her four limbs to "walk up" the trunk of the closely growing tree. In such a fashion, she was able to navigate the small space between the natural structure and the partition she was hoping to scale.

All of this—of course—sounded a great deal easier on paper. In truth, Applejack was sweating up a storm, and she could already feeling her lower limbs buckling with the effort it took to maintain her speed—much less her elevation. A dull pain throbbed through her back, and she somehow knew she'd have scraped flesh and bruised muscles the morning after.

"Grffffffff... just... a little more..."

She knew she shouldn't have been talking. But the entire effort already felt so dangerous... so absurd. It was a wonder none of the guards had seen her yet. It couldn't have been this easy to sneak into the Royal Palace, could it?

The night hung cold and calm through her peripheral vision. As a matter of fact, there was no sign of any wandering ponies in armor. It pained her to look for them, because doing so meant glancing at the ground—which was growing distant at a frightening rate. One little slip and Applejack would be plunging twelve feet... fifteen... twenty...

"Mmmmfff... darn it, sugarcube..." She gnashed her teeth, sweating. "...why c-couldn't you just fly over the edge of a day care?"

Just then, she heard hoofsteps... and the tell-tale rattling of armor.

Applejack clenched her jaw shut—along with every other muscle in her body. She breathed thinly, her entire spine locked in place and the limbs included. She lingered high above the ground, pinned like an orange door stop between the tree and the wall. After a few agonizing seconds, she heard the hoofsteps with heart-stopping clarity. There was no doubt that a pair of guards were trotting directly underneath her.

Armor rattled... rattled... and came to a stop.

Applejack felt like sobbing. Every stern rebuke and warning that Granny Smith had ever told her came thundering through her little pony ears right then and there. She imagined being sketched on the front page of the Ponyville Sentinel. "Central Equestrian Local Found Trespassing on the Royal Lawn." She had failed her friends. She had failed her family... Apple Bloom. What kind of a role model was she now?

She clenched her eyes and tried to think of something to make the torture pass faster. In the throbbing darkness, a patch of blue crossed her mind, carrying with it multiple daring and courageous colors.

"Hrmmmfff... it's quiet again," a voice rasped beneath her.

"Yeah. Was almost exciting for a second there," a second added.

"Damned Gala. Oh well. Nine o'clock."

"I've got six."

"Carry on."

Armor rattled once again—a heavenly sound. Both sets of hoofprints went separate ways, one heading northwest and the other heading southeast.

Applejack remained in place, struggling to not whimper.

At long last, she felt it was safe to move again. In truth, it was merely a guess. When she shimmied up the rest of the height between the tree and the wall, it was done so in a desperate burst of speed.

Soon she reached the topmost portion of the tree trunk. She craned her neck. The top of the rampart loomed in front of her as well.

"Mmmmf... ffffuuu... grrfff—ummfff!" With a heave of her farm-bred muscles, she backflipped up onto the top of the wall...

...and landed flat on her belly.

"Ooof!"

Applejack winced all over. She was bruised, aching, and covered in sweat.

But she had made it.

"Grfff... land's sakes..."

Her voice was a wispy, foalish whisper. Nevertheless—with adult perseverance—she pushed herself back onto all fours and took a sharp look around.

Miraculously, she had scaled the wall in a break between the patrol. But it wouldn't remain that way for long. She could already sense guards coming and going. Below her—verdant and lusch under starlight—was a wide stretch of the palace garden, full of hedge mazes and fountains and statues.

But—most importantly...

...she saw Rainbow flittering off in the distance, heading northeast across the ornate grounds.

Without wasting another second, Applejack hopped from the top of the wall, scaling herself down to the gardens one ledge and windowsill at a time. At last, her four pony hooves struck the pliable soil... and she galloped briskly towards the nearest hedges for cover from scanning eyes.

CRASH

Rainbow Dash's straightforward glide had deteriorated into a drunken weave. She zig-zagged over the Palace gardens at this point. Applejack wasn't certain what bothered her about it the most: how close Rainbow Dash came to sailing into various structures or how blatantly casual the half-conscious pegasus went about it all.

"Rainbow...?!"

Applejack hissed into the air.

"Rainbow?!?!"

She frowned and hissed again.

Rainbow Dash sailed on. To Applejack's chagrin, the petite pony somehow still had a mug in her hoof... and was occasionally attempting to sip from its emptying contents.

"Oh for Celestia's sake...!" Applejack gnashed her teeth. She darted briskly between patches of squarely-trimmed hedge and marble benches. The mountain air here was cool and crisp. Rainbow Dash was just a leap and a mouth-grab away, but Applejack was too scared of the guards' surrounding sight to attempt something too brash. "Rainbow, ya dang varmint! Dun ya drink and fly! You could hurt youself, y'know!"

None of these words landed concretely in Rainbow's ears. Or—if they did—they barely made any sense to the feathered floozie. Soon she was bobbing and weaving over the statues and the nearby courtyard. Applejack's heart stopped with every dip the pegasus took.

"Guh!" At one point, Applejack squatted low behind a fountain and covered her eyes. "This is crazy. I'm an honest pony... breakin' and enterin' into the Royal Palace... and we're never gonna live this down!"

She gnashed her teeth, summoning a burning flame of anger from deep inside.

But none could be found. Instead, all Applejack felt was the cold sweat of worry... and something else in her core... something no less warm and beating and desperate.

"Rainbow..." She looked up, teeth chattering between her freckles. A gulp. "Rainbow, sugarcube..." Her voice whimpered beneath the failed attempt at a stern tone. "Please... y'all must come down now!"

That must have done something, for suddenly Rainbow Dash was turning over in mid-flight like a foal might stir in her sleep. There was a sleepy smile on her cider-stained muzzle.

"Just... one cuddle... AJ..." She purred, dropping the mug soundlessly to the bushes below. She descended, hiccuping sloppily. "Between friends, mmmmmkay?"

Applejack froze in place, peering confusedly outward from behind the fountain. "What the...?"

""I don't c-care how—HIC—bad things are..." It wasn't clear whether Rainbow Dash was giggling or sobbing at this point. Her eyes rolled back under fluttering lids, and Applejack watched—stunned—as the mare plummeted into the royal mess. "Just... want to be with you..." Somepony sniffled. "Just... want to sh-show you..."

Applejack sat petrified... but for reasons unexplained.

"... ... ...Rainbow Dash?" she breathed. Her eyes lost themselves in the starlit emptiness between worried thoughts, and it was then that something violently jolted her out of the unnameable moment... something loud. Like a crash.

CRACK!

"!!!" Applejack shot back up. She craned her neck just in time to see that Rainbow Dash had collided with a statue... a statue that was careening towards the ground. In the moonlight, there was the scarcely descernible flash of claws, paws, fangs, and goat hair. And then—

SMASH!

Rainbow Dash settled into place, halo'd by a rattling sea of granite bits.

And Applejack swallowed hard. "Whoah nelly..."

An Honest Mistake

"Mmmmmmmmmmm..." Rainbow Dash smiled in spite of the catastrophic moment. Like a foal settling into a fluffy bed, she curled up, blindly grasped the nearest chunk of pale granite closest to her, and nuzzled it against her fuzzy cheek. "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeee... frecklesssssssss..."

The air filled up with hyperventilation. Applejack's hyperventilation. Breaking cover instantly, the mare galloped over to Rainbow's side. She skidded to a stop, her hooves knocking aside a chunk of statue or two.

"Oh withersnaps, Rainbow!" Applejack's teeth chattered. Standing above the petite pegasus, she looked left... she looked right... and then she pulled her hat tighter over her blonde head. "Withersnaps on a witherbagel!" The farm mare proceeded to swallow the mother of all lumps down her throat. "Now you gone and done it!"

"Mmfghhhghuuu..." Rainbow Dash drifted away, her next breath funneling somewhere between a whimper and a snore. "...apple done. Heeeheee... shnkkktktt..."

"Darn it, Rainbow!" Applejack bent over, hissing. "Will you stop blabberin' about apples?!" She froze in place, blinking at the dimly-lit gardens surrounding. "...what has become of me?"

Hoofsteps.

Applejack gasped. She flung her head to the left.

About thirty feet away rested the edge of the Palace Building proper. The hoofsteps were emanating from inside. Applejack spotted two translucent windows and a door. A light turned on, and an armored pony's silhouette appeared within the glass frame. The knob to the door began to turn.

"Oh stem!" Applejack cursed yet again. She did a tiny pony jig in place, looking all around. "Gyuh!" Her emerald eyes locked on a thick throng of bushes just a few feet away from the broken statue. "That'll do!" she galloped two feet, then thrust her strong teeth towards Rainbow's tail. "C'mere, you!"

Rainbow's body was dragged belly-first and backwards across the springy lawn.

"Phweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..." She drooled happily, then—

Th-Thwump! Applejack slumped the two of them within the crook of a patch of hedges. "Guhhh!" She pressed her back flat up to the bush, all the while wrapping her arms around Rainbow's midsection and hugging the limp pegasus' body tightly to her palpitating chest. She craned her neck, struggling to keep still despite her beating heart. The feather-soft fuzz of Rainbow's mane hairs to her neck and chin didn't help her relax all that much. "Celestia help us... Celestia help us..." she drawled quietly beneath her breath.

Click! The side castle door opened.

"!!!" Applejack clammed up. She heard metal-laced hoofsteps. The mare hugged Rainbow Dash even tighter.

The hoofsteps came to a stop. There was silence... followed by the rattle of a statue's shard... followed by more silence.

All was eerily still, save for the crickets.

And then...

"Awwwwwwwwww crud..." A young adult stallion's voice whimpered in the air. "Awwwwwwwwwww jeez." The silence was pierced by nervously rattling armor. "You've gotta be friggin' kidding me. Buck. Buck me sideways. Buck me sideways with a griffin beak. Ah jeez ah jeez ah jeez... on my first friggin' shift too!"

Applejack held her breath. Nevertheless, curiosity caught up with her. After two full minutes of waiting in abject silence, she heard a loud scraping noise. She flattened her ears and craned her neck to peek just over the bushes that were hiding her and her best friend.

A pegasus stallion in gold armor could be seen dragging a large garbage can out from a brightly-lit supply room. Panicking, the guard swept as much of the granite debris that he could and crammed it into the metal trash can, piece by piece.... until nothing was left by the sundered base to the statue. As he fumbled and panicked, his helmet fell off. A brilliant blue mane shone in the starlight, accompanied by matching pinprick eyes as—startled—he picked the helmet and placed it back down on his trembling head.

"The c-captain's gonna kill me. Oh gosh. Oh friggin' Tartarus I am sooooooo dead. Gotta hide it... gotta... g-gotta call in some pony..." An audible gulp. "I can get rid of this. I-I can make this work. Just... just focus! Concentrate. It was an ugly statue anyhow... nopony will miss it..."

Applejack's eyes followed as stone claws, feathers, and antlers were dropped into the can. Then—with an icy squint—she slowwwwwwwwwwwwly slid away... and scrambled off towards the furthest corner of the royal garden, dragging a limp Rainbow Dash along with her...

Not an Ending...

"Httt... gnnngh... mmff!"

With a lasting grunt, Applejack landed outside the walls of the royal district. She was sweaty, tired, and bruised.

She also wasn't alone.

"Hrmmmmfnnghlll..." A drunken pegasus lay petitely draped over her back. Carrying her out of the Palace grounds was no small feat—much less climbing over the northwest walls to accomplish it.

Nevertheless...

"Come on... come on...!" Applejack galloped straight into Canterlot urbanity. She heard the metallic hoofsteps of patrolling guards behind her. They didn't appear to be pursuing the two ponies, but Applejack wasn't about to linger around and tempt fate. She bolted into the nearest street she could find... then ducked into a dark alleyway, safe from the glow of lamplights.

It was there... in a dank crook of concrete and cobblestone... sandwiched between a flower shop and a bed and breakfast... that Applejack finally settled down with Rainbow Dash.

"Guhhh!" Rainbow Dash exhaled, jostled in her sleep. She rocked as she was peeled off Applejack's backside, and a foalish giggle escaped her lips as she was laid down onto the floor. "Pffft... hee-hee-hee..."

"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack frowned—but for no longer than two seconds. She was a panting, sweating mess, and she couldn't let the pegasus go. "Dang it, sugarcube! T'ain't no giggling matter—"

"Heeeheeheee—"

"Snap out of it!" Applejack shook the mare, but only briefly. Huffing and puffing, she cast a forlorn glance out the side of the alleyway, afraid of random midnight strollers spotting the two. "Don't you realize how much trouble we coulda gotten in?" She gulped. "You done committed property damage! You've been drinkin' and flyin'! You... you..."

The farm mare clenched her eyes shut. She shook... seethed... then sighed...

"Awwwww shucks..." Her eyes reopened, glossy and apologetic. "It's all my fault, darlin'..."

She reached down and grasped Rainbow's shoulders, then fussed with her prismatic bangs.

"I shouldn't have left you alone hours ago. I shoulda known that you weren't in the right mind to... to..." Applejack lingered.

Rainbow's bangs were unbelievably soft. Softer than silk. Softer than Apple Bloom's tuft of head hair when she had been freshly-foaled.

"...to... t-to be left..." Applejack stammered. She reached a hoof down to steady Rainbow Dash, and her fetlock brushed against the pegasus' wings. And they were even softer. "...uhhh..." She gulped. Feeling a heartbeat racing.

But it wasn't her own. A warmth spread outward from Rainbow's fuzzy tummy, accompanied by a racing pulse. It finally manifested itself in Rainbow's muzzle: "Mmmmff—Applejack...?"

"Errr..." Applejack felt like she was shrinking. She had nowhere to go but into the alley wall resting solidly behind her. Nevertheless, she pressed herself against it. Cold and frightened. "Yes, sugarcube?"

"AJ..." Rainbow Dash's muzzle melted into a grimace. Beady tears formed along the edges of her lashes. She was whimpering at this point. "AJ...?"

Applejack inhaled. Exhaled. "What is it, sugarcube? What's wrong? You c-can tell me—!" Her eyes widened.

In her stupor, Rainbow Dash had flung herself forward. Two unconscious forelimbs clung to Applejack's shoulders while the rest of her tender body draped over Applejack like a cloud. Hot, earnest tears christened the farm mare's chest. There was a sniffling sound, and then Rainbow Dash spoke.

And when she spoke, she did so with six lonely words:

Six Words

I wish I could win you.

The Softening

An hour before dawn...

Maybe two...

Four colorful equine bodies lay slumbering across the bed and floor of Twilight Sparkle's foalhood room. Gentle breaths echoed against the walls, and a light snore or two could be heard.

Shadows and silence...

Then... ... ...

Creaaaaaaaaaaak!

The door to Twilight Sparkle's room slowly tilted open with a patch of dim light. The silhouette of a farm pony stood in its frame. A petite figure with wings was draped over her back.

"... ... ..."

Applejack peered left...

She peered right...

Boldly, with baited breath, she trotted forward on the tippy-tips of her hoofsies. She had to hop once or twice to avoid stomping on Fluttershy or Rarity.

At long last, she reached the far end of the room where two empty sleeping bags lay. One was appropriately simple. The other one was loud and obnoxious—even in the dim light—featuring lightning and wonderbolt emblems.

Holding her breath, Applejack squatted really... really low. Still balancing Rainbow across her flank, she gripped the clasp of the sleeping bag's zipper in her teeth. Slowly, she peeled the thing open with a low rattle. A few hooves and fetlocks stirred and twitched beside her.

At long last, after an agonizing motion, Applejack succeeded in opening the bag. Sucking her breath in, she heaved Rainbow Dash over her shoulders and laid her gently down inside the mat.

"Mrmmmmff... guhhh..." Rainbow's lips moved slightly. She reached a fetlock out—its fuzz as soft as sighs—and brushed it against Applejack's hoof.

Applejack grimaced, her heart racing. She gently pushed Rainbow's hoof away, then slid the rest of her body beneath the lip of the sleeping bag. All that was left was to tuck her wings in after her... but this proved far more difficult than she had expected. Applejack ultimately resorted to swift, jabbing motions... almost grunting with the effort to shove those wings in alongside the petite pegasus' slumbering body—

Pluck!

Something lifted ceilingward and twirled in the air like a pixie.

"...?!" Applejack looked up. "...!!" She grasped for the object, juggled it, then grasped it in two trembling forelimbs. She held her breath.

It was a loose blue feather... Rainbow's... and it was softer than soft itself.

Applejack found herself frozen inexplicably in place... even as the sound of shifting satin tickled her ears.

A pony was sitting up.

Gasping, Applejack looked all around in a frantic sweat for a place to hide the one and only evidence of her and Rainbow's belated arrival. Ultimately, she lifted her hat and stuck the damned thing between it and her blonde head. She stood prim and proper like a house cat in time to smile back at the bleary-eyed pony...

...who turned out to be Pinkie Pie.

"Mrmmmfff..." The mare rubbed her fuzzy face. "Applejack...?" She rubbed it again. "Is that you?"

"Uhhhh... eeyup!" Applejack smiled, twitching. "Go back to bed, Pinkie!" Her voice was hoarse.

Pinkie's blue eyes peered inquistively through the icy shadows. "You're not just getting back from a midnight excursion into an emotionally existential crisis, are you?"

"Errrr..." Applejack gulped, fidgeting in place. "Even... if I was... would that be any better than that snazzy dream y'all should be gettin' back to right about now?"

"... ... ..." Pinkie Pie blinked. "... ... ..." She grinned stupidly. "You got a point there! Nini!" THUNK! She fell like a corpse back into her sleeping bag. "Shnorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

Applejack exhaled wheezingly. She leaned over and zipped Rainbow Dash's mat up.

"Mrmmmmffff..." With a dumb smile, Rainbow Dash curled up, her body shifted ever so slightly in the direction of Applejack's warm touch.

"... ... ..." Applejack lingered in place. It took iron resolve to remove her hoof from the sleeping mat... and the residual warmth of the exhausted pegasus.

Slowly backing up, Applejack stumbled to her own mat. She lay down—stiff as a wooden board—and stared up at the glow-in-the-dark stars dotting Twilight's ceiling. Her eyes were wide open... and not a single cell in her body was feeling remotely sleepy.

She knew that she had to force it.

So, out of habit, Applejack plucked her hat off to lay over her eyes...

...and that's when the blue feather fell onto her chest.

The mare gasped audibly. She covered her muzzle before she could wake anypony. A few bodies shifted under their mats... but were still again.

Fighting a sour lump in her throat, Applejack looked at the feather lying on her chest. As she breathed, it fluttered from her breath... tickling her. Enticing.

It was such a tiny, pathetic, threadbare thing. Applejack had every reason to throw it under a random chair or crush it to a fibrous pulp and toss under Twilight's bed...

But she didn't.

She could only stare at the thing... paralyzed...

When at last she couldn't stare any longer, she did something strange.

She put her hat over it. Hiding it.

Suddenly, Applejack could breath better. Sleep wasn't any easier to find. The constant tickle of the feather against her chest kept her locked in the moment. But for some reason...

She didn't mind.

Nor did she mind the breath that fluttered closest to her.

Applejack turned her head aside. Calm, melancholic eyes swept the darkness and found color. Her color.

Rainbow was just a few breaths away, and yet Applejack realized she could make out her breaths from all the other mares. In some strange way—she figured—she always could.

The thought tickled her like the feather. And when she stopped fighting it—Applejack discovered—it lulled her into a calm state of mind.

And... not long after...

...darkness.

Dream Dash

Sobbing.

Applejack's eyes opened.

She sat atop a grassy hill. A set of gravestones sat darkly in front of her. Brown and green apple trees flanked her on all other sides.

More sobs.

Whimpers and squeaks.

"... ... ...?"

Applejack stood up.

She turned around.

A narrow row of apple trees stretched into infinity. She slowly trotted down, following the source of the crying breath.

The tree trunks grew denser and denser, clustering together. Soon, there was no more light that could squeeze through. The trees turned into a wall, lined with featureless photographs of the dead and forgotten.

And, at last, Applejack approached the final door that stood between her and the sobbing.

"Apple Bloom?"

Her heart was pounding.

She had to protect her.

To soothe her.

"Apple Bloom, it's okay..."

She pushed the door open and poked her head in.

"...I promise you... it's gonna be alright..."

The room stretched open, inverting. A bright light cascaded, and instead of Apple Bloom's furniture, Applejack saw Ponyville City Hall... the Royal Palace... even storefronts of Manehattan that she remembered from her days as a foal.

Somepony sat with her back to her...

The softest and fuzziest of blue coats.

Applejack heart stopped.

"Sugarcube...?"

She trotted forward.

"What's the matter?"

She saw Rainbow's face. It was covered in tears. She was gazing upward with a sad expression.

Curious, Applejack looked up as well.

The Wonderbolts were flying loopty-loops in the sky. Fluttershy was with them. Even Rarity—albeit with gossamer butterfly wings. Something sounded in the distance, loud and ominous like a bell. The flying ponies laughed and did their loopty-loops faster, trailing clouds off into the distance. They drew further and further away until they were impossible to see.

Applejack heard the sobbing once again.

She looked at Rainbow Dash.

The mare's ears were drooped. Tears fell—but that wasn't all. The ground was littered with feathers... for Rainbow's wings had fallen off. As if ashamed, Rainbow swiftly covered her face in her fetlocks and drew into herself.

Applejack's heart tore.

"Oh, darlin'..."

She reached out with one hoof.

"Come here..."

She reached out with her other hoof.

Applejack swept the sea of blue feathers up like leaves. She drew Rainbow Dash into the current, and soon the feathers were covering them like a blanket. She felt the tiny pony curling up against her, staining her chest with warm tears and trembles.

"Dun you fret..." Applejack hugged her close, nuzzling the mare's shoulder. "...it's gonna be okay." She smiled... a frighteningly warm and tender thing. "I promise you..." She looked past Rainbow Dash. "...we're gonna be... just fine." Applejack blinked.

She saw herself sitting back on the hill. There were three more gravestones. She looked sadly back at herself... and it almost looked as though there was a stab of shame in those eyes.

Applejack's lips pursed. Her blood went cold. When she opened her arms once more, all she found herself cradling was apple peels.

The sobbing came back. It was deafening this time... like thunder.

Applejack winced. All went dark out the corner of her eyes. She clamped her hooves over her ears and still she couldn't drown out the sobs.

The crying grew louder and louder and swirled and swirled...

Home Aloners

...a toilet was flushing somewhere.

"...!" Applejack's eyes popped open.

Bright noonday light was gliding in through the windows, illuminating the far reaches of Twilight Sparkle's room. The bed was empty... as were all the sleeping bags surrounding the mare.

"... ... ..." Applejack tiredly looked left... then right. At long last, she saw a clock. It was two in the afternoon. "... ... ...shucks."

She felt something soft, thin, and fluttery on her chest.

"!!!" She slapped two hooves over it in an instant. In so doing, she jostled her hat loose—it was still lying over her fuzzy orange tummy. With a pensive breath, she lifted the brim up with her left hoof.

Rainbow's feather was still safely hidden there.

"... ... ...?" Applejack then looked at the other flimsy object that was pressed beneath her right hoof.

It turned out to be a note, written in neat, draconian handwriting: "Heya, AJ. Out late, huh? The girls and I can tell that you and RD really needed some rest, so we let you sleep in. It's all good; get some shuteye!. We'll be out at the park if you need us. P.S. Twilight's mom has some grilled cheese sandwiches in the kitchen. Help yourself!"

Applejack's green eyes finished reading the note. She exhaled.

"Awwwwwwwwww hayseeds..."

Just then, a door opened nearby. The toilet was still flushing—only far louder this time. A set of blue hooves thumped and thudded tiredly across the room.

"Guh!" Applejack slapped her hat back down, obscuring the feather. Breathless, she looked over as—

"Euuuuuuuuuuugh..." Rainbow Dash threw herself awkwardly onto her sleeping bag. Whud! Her blue butt stuck up towards the ceiling as her wings draped limply on either side. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeugh... my head..."

"Errr..." Applejack gulped. "You... uh... you alright, Rainbow?"

"Ajaaaaaaaaaay..." The pegasus whined. "Could you not snore so loudddddd? My head's being body slammed by invisible manticores..."

"Oh... uh... s-sure thing!" Applejack murmured. A gulp. "But... uhm... other than that, are ya doin' okay?"

"ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..." Rainbow Dash was out like a stone.

Applejack stared at her. Her ears drooped. "Do ya remember anything?" A breath. "Anythang at all?"

No respnose. Only snores.

Applejack clenched her eyes shut and laid her head back. She remained that way for a long time, stabbed by impenetrable noonlight.

"Mmmmmmmm... dag nabbit."

With a savage motion, she kicked herself up onto her hooves. Pausing in the middle of the room, she looked at her hat—and what was inside it—for the better part of a minute.

Finally, with nostrils flaring, she slapped the article back onto her head—feather and all—and stormed off to the kitchen to drown her thoughts out with bread and cheese.

Weekenders

That afternoon.

Applejack stood in Twilight Sparkle's shower, scrubbing herself down.

After lathering and washing her mane, she shut the warm water off with a satisfied sigh.

She grabbed a towel with her hoof, dried herself off, then wrapped a second towel around her mane.

There was a knock on the door. It sounded like Spike.

"Just a minute!" Applejack lingered before the mirror with a tired blink. She turned around—spotting her hat lying on the counter. A blue feather rested neatly in it. Moisture clung to its fibrous bits like morning dew.

Applejack tongued the inside of her muzzle. Her eyes flickered to the waistbasket, the toilet, the gargling drain of the tub...

Spike pounded on the door again, more insistent this time.

Wincing, Applejack snatched the hat up without a second thought. She pressed it tightly to her chest, obscuring the feather. Clearing her throat, she unlocked the bathroom door, trotted out on three limbs, and went to the opposite end of the apartment.

That evening.

Applejack sat at a restaurant table with the rest of the girls. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were chatting up a storm. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy giggled often.

The farm mare sat on the sidelines of the conversation, smiling politely. She swirled a glass of ice water in her hoof. Her eyes occasionally followed the frigid contents. Her ears twitched on either side of her hat. Her head...

Her scalp tickled... constantly. Applejack couldn't feel the feather that was under her hat through her mane... and yet she constantly thought that she did. She knew it was there. The reality of the fact failed to leave her. Being out there... being with those ponies made her think a bonfire was lit atop her crown.

Hesitantly...

Weakly...

...Applejack lifted her green eyes and glanced across the table.

Rainbow Dash sat between Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Her eyelids were heavy, and—judging from the occasional wince from her scalp—it was more than evident that a hangover refused to leave the poor pegasus alone. She too had a glass of ice water, something lost to the other mares hanging out. Once or twice, Rainbow even came close to nodding off. But then Fluttershy would giggle or Pinkie Pie would slap her shoulder and say something loud. Rainbow's eyes would fly open wide, and she'd put on a devilish smirk with practiced grace.

Applejack wasn't entirely worried about the mare whom she had to "rescue" the night previous.

What she was worried about—however—was the confounded fluctations in her chest every time she so much as stared at the winged scamp for longer than three seconds. Eventually, the weight of the moment dragged her eyes down to the restaurant's floor. As the merry evening toiled away in the background, Applejack worked on one thing and one thing alone.

Slowing her heartrate down.

She took gulp after gulp of cold water, contributing to the effort. No avail.

Her scalp tickled.

Applejack fought to keep from screaming.

Nighttime.

The mares gathered around the table in Twilight Sparkle's living room. Spike had found a box full of old photographs, and the girls were busy cooing and giggling at all of the captured memories from Twilight's foalhood.

Rainbow Dash retired early for the night. Applejack struggled painfully through three "Book Camp" albums in order to excuse herself as late as possible. It was proving insurmountable; the toil of the previous night caught up to her on lead horseshoes. Eventually, Rarity insisted she go to catch some shuteye. And when Rarity was dismissing somepony...

Applejack trembled as she reached her tired hoof for the doorknob to Twilight's bedroom. She bit her lip and strove to keep her knees from knocking. The mare had outrun hydras, fended off swarms of vampire fruit bats, and even taken manticores to the woodshed.

Now, all of a sudden, it took more courage than she thought possible just to enter the same room as a certain friend of hers...

If she lingered too much, her friends would suspect something was amiss.

So...

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes...

...Applejack entered the bedroom.

It was darker than dark. Her tired eyes could scarcely make out the glow-in-the-dark stickers clinging to the ceiling. At first, Applejack was afraid she might step on a certain petite pegasus. But then...

She heard her. For some reason, Rainbow Dash's voice stood out like a siren amidst the hush of the room. A squeaky, voice-cracking, tender little siren. The sound rubbed around Applejack's ears like a fuzzy kitten, and somehow she just knew the mare was lying within her snug sleeping bag in a fetal position. As Applejack's eyes adjusted to the shadows, she realized she was completely right.

A glint of starlight caught itself on Rainbow's mane. It looked so raggedy and frayed to the naked eye, but Applejack knew otherwise. Applejack knew things that other ponies didn't. The softness... the innocence... the warmth of that mane... that body... that vessel of sacred breaths clinging to her... depending on her... and desiring—

Before Applejack knew it, a full five minutes had passed, and she was standing above Rainbow Dash like some creepy wolf in chicken coop. She felt nauseous... especially when she realized how closely her hooves lingered to where Rainbow's mane was. The farm mare slowly... decidedly backed away.

She practically fell into her sleeping bag. She threw a length of fabric over her body and aimed her back to Rainbow until she was staring dead-straight into a blank bedroom wall. Like a polite farm filly, Applejack instinctually took her hat off and plopped it on the floor beside her. She nearly cussed out loud—

—for the feather flopped back into view, catching a fateful string of starlight. It glinted with the same softness she had spotted across the room.

Clenching her teeth, Applejack angrily snatched the fibrous little thing from the hollow of the hat. She held it between two strong hooves, ready to mangle it into putrid threads that would get lost in the upholstery forever...

But she couldn't. She couldn't do anything but lie there... petrified... cradling the fragile color in her grubby farm hooves.

And from the other side of the room, the tender breaths kept rolling... squeaking... yearning.

Applejack didn't realize she was stroking the feather, but there she was. The thickness of the sleeping back failed to hide how naked she felt. And cold. And helpless.

It used to be that the only thing that brought tears to Applejack's eyes was thinking back on memories of her folks. But this...

She sniffled. A sore spot formed in her throat. Applejack did the only thing she knew that could solve a case of frightful shivers. She hugged something to her chest. But there was the paradox. She was never the one shivering before.

The night took its sweet, agonizing time before it dragged Applejack into slumber, and she didn't like the dreams she found there any better.

All Good Things

The next day...

Steam blew high into the air.

A train whistle sounded off against the Canterlot mountains, signaling that a departure was imminent.

Applejack trotted out of the side door of a supply train car. She had just assisted a worker or two with stowing away her wagon and wares inside. As she shuffled up the length of the Canterlot train station, her gaze fell on the platform beneath her. The mare's ears tickled with the sounds of ponies, friends, and loved ones exchanging sweet good-bye's.

She heard a flighty giggle.

Applejack looked up. She spotted two mares standing beside the first line of passenger cars. One of them smiled, reached over a pile of suitcase, and hugged the other. The two ponies nuzzled, exchanged a few tears, and then kissed passionately.

Applejack bit her lip. She felt an itch in her scalp... and she tugged her hat tighter around her head—

"Oh! There you are!" Twilight Velvet's voice called across the depot. "Applejack! Miss Applejack?!"

Applejack cleared her throat. She turned about-face, pivoting to face the source of the voice with a bright smile. "Now where are my manners?!" She trotted towards where her friends were saying good-bye to Twilight's parents. "I swear, one of these days I'm gonna take a vacation without my apple wagon... but then I plum wouldn't know what to do with myself!" She did a little curtsey before the group. "A thousand pardons, ma'am."

"Oh, it's quite alright!" Twilight Velvet smiled. "I sure hope you got plenty of business taken care of during your stay in Canterlot!"

"Oh, I... uh..." Applejack coughed and smiled through her freckles. "I certainly feel as though my life's been enriched good and plenty over th-this weekend."

"Well, that's good." Night Light winked. "Very good indeed." He turned to smile at his daughter. "Twilight, we should do this more often. You know your bedroom is going nowhere."

"Thanks, Dad, but... uh..." Twilight blushed slightly. "...my 'bedroom' is back in Ponyville."

"And so's my bed!" Spike exclaimed, gleefully seated on the young unicorn's backside. "Although... uh..." He toyed with his claws. "...maybe you two could come over and share with us the recipe for your magnificent Crystal Omelette?"

"Ugh. Spike..."

"Haha!" Night Light grinned. "If we did that, we'd run out of excuses to have you and Twilight over!"

"Come on, Dad..." Sniffling slightly, Twilight leaned in to nuzzle both her parents at once. "You know it's not about that."

"Oh Twilight..." Her mother sighed, snuggling the unicorn close. "It just hasn't been the same since you and Shining Armor moved out."

"Well, we'll make sure your darling daughter never forgets to make regular visits!" Rarity said, standing closer. "She does get lost in her books from time to time, after all, but now that she's got friends we'll make sure she doesn't get too distracted."

"Woohoo! Way to go, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie grinned. "Now you get to be nagged back home as well as here in Canterlot!"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Twilight Sparkle blushed furiously. She leaned back from her parents' embrace. "On that note..."

"Yes, I suppose you really do have to be going," Twilight Velvet said. "It's been such a splendid time."

"We welcome any of you back whenever you like!" Night Light smiled. "Seriously. Our home is your home."

"Heeheehee..." Fluttershy's cheeks warmed. "That is so very nice of you. We'll remember this weekend fondly."

"Say... uh..." Applejack looked all around, smiling in the moment. "Where's Rainbow Dash?"

"Hmmm?" Fluttershy looked over. "Oh. She's on board the train."

Applejack blinked, her smile fading. "She is?"

"Yes. She's so very tired, the poor thing."

"Oh..." Applejack glanced down at the floor. "I... I guess that makes sense..."

"...?" Fluttershy raised a curious eyebrow. She opened her muzzle to say something—

—which was precisely when the train whistle blew for one last time.

"All aboard!" an old conductor hollered.

"Well, time to go!" Rarity trotted on board first. "So long, everypony! It's been extra marvelous!"

"So very nice to see you!" Fluttershy waved, flying into a passenger car.

"Bye Mom!" Twilight trotted in. "Bye Dad!"

"Ta-ta to your ta-ta's!" Pinkie giggled with each hop. "Heeheehee!"

Applejack was the last to shuffle on board. Secluded by her sighs, she found a spot in the back of a passenger car... and sat facing the southern window. She saw mountains and rivers and valleys as the train picked up and moved downhill.

She didn't see much color.

Down, Feather

Crickets.

The distant howl of Timberwolves.

A sliver of starlight pierced the darkness. With a prolonged creak, the wooden doors to an old barn opened slowly. The silhouette of a healthy farm mare stood in the entrance, hitched to a wagon. She took one long look at the barn's familiar interior, inhaled the scent of old hay... and quietly trotted in.

Shuffling to a stop, Applejack dutifully unhitched herself from the wagon and parked it in the corner of the place. She stood in place, lingering, observing the bushels of unsold apples still resting in the back of the wagon. The fruit was no longer ripe; their skin had lost their gloss.

Pig's feed...

Applejack's nostrils flared. She ran a hoof across the surfaces of the fruit. The skin wasn't as soft as she expected.

She knew more, now.

With a cold shudder, Applejack threw a tarp over the crate, turned around, and slowly exited the barn. She closed the doors with a dull rattle and returned the interior to darkness.

The floorboards of the Sweet Apple Acres household groaned lightly under Applejack's hooves. The bottom floor was pitch-black at night; she proceeded as quietly as she could.

A light glow emanated from the living room. Applejack couldn't help but have a look-see.

Granny Smith lay asleep in her rocking-chair, as always. She snored lightly. Before her, the fireplace was dying. There was a slight tremble to the elder's wrinkled limbs.

With a calm smile, Applejack shuffled in deep and placed another log into the fire. She stoked the flames, and the room warmed a bit. She added a finishing touch by tightening the quilt around Granny Smith's body. A contented smile crossed the old mare's face. Applejack leaned in, kissed her forehead, and left for upstairs.

Big Mac was snoring. Applejack could hear it through the walls. Somehow—she expected—he had relaxed more in Ponyville than anypony who had ventured to the Gala in Canterlot that weekend. She wasn't particularly jealous; just quiet.

She lingered beside the door to Apple Bloom's room. Slowly opening it, she peered inside.

Apple Bloom lay quietly under a sliver of moonlight. She was still as a fuzzy stone. Applejack could tell that her blanket needed some tucking in, but...

She closed the door instead. The mare stood there, alone on the second floor to her family's house, flanked by familiar portraits.

So many faces amidst so much silence.

Big Mac's snoring breaths redoubled, waking Applejack to the moment. She remembered how exhausted she was, and so she limped into her bedroom.

In the moonlight, it glinted.

Every fibrous strand.

Blue and bluer.

Applejack lingered at her bedside. Squatting. Hunched over. Her hat lay limply in both forelimbs, and she stared at the lone, tiny feather nestled within.

She could scarcely move.

Breaths and more breaths...

At last, Applejack removed the feather from her mind by closing her eyes. Her thoughts wandered to a few hours before.

The train ride home...

The arrival at Ponyville station... ...

Rainbow Dash hadn't said a single word the entire trip. Not to Applejack... not to anypony. She was dead tired... mostly asleep... and decidedly devoid of enthusiasm.

What difference a night makes.

Applejack had to wrestle with a heart-stabbing quandary: which was the 'real' Rainbow Dash? The one that was drunk? Or the one who suffered afterwards?

Was there any 'truth' to Rainbow Dash when she was under the pressure of her own consequences?

Applejack had saved her from a life in pony penitentiary, and only she knew about it. The weight was crushing—but she was still Applejack. What was Rainbow's excuse?

A bitter lump formed in Applejack's chest, and it leaked upwards into her mouth.

She frowned... shook... and finally found the strength to thrust the hat away. She plopped it firmly down atop the bedside table... and let loose a tense sigh.

Bedtime.

Limply, Applejack stood up, crossed the room, and settled at her vanity. She began the long, laborious task of un-ribboning her mane and brushing it straight. With each gesture, she couldn't help but wince. Each strand of hair—strands she had felt and managed all her life—suddenly felt very course and rough to the touch. She ignored it to the best of her ability and brushed with wild abandon.

She avoided her own eyes in the mirror, settling for the shadows that lingered off the penumbra of moonlight.

With a deep sigh, Applejack settled into bed.

She pulled the covers up to her pony chest and...

...existed.

"... ... ..."

Her eyes traced the wooden ceiling of her wooden room. Everything was familiar, and yet she didn't feel like she belonged in there. An imposter had arrived home, and it was getting more and more difficult by the minute to shake her loose.

The mare gnawed on her bottom lip. She looked towards the window right next to her bed.

A brisk wind blew over Sweet Apple Acres. The trees shook, and in the distance Applejack could see gray stone shapes stabbing back at the moonlight from the top of a hill.

With a foalish trilling sound, Applejack immediately turned to face the rest of her room, her back to the window.

She saw galloshes lingering beneath a desk. A length of rope hanging over the corner of her bed. A raincoat and a saddle and...

A bulletin board rested against the far wall. Several ribbons and medals were pinned to the surface, representing different years, all blue.

Applejack held her breath.

She knew something bluer.

Breathing in and out...

Trembling... ...

She reached a hoof over to her bedside table... ... ...

...and turned her hat over.

The feather rotated as the article shifted. Just as quickly, it shifted to a stop, catching the moonlight again. Soft and vibrant. Precious... but also precocious. It didn't belong there. It shouldn't have even made the long, crazy, secret journey there.

And yet... here it was...

And Applejack stared.

And Applejack sighed.

And Applejack remembered...

Trembling little forelimbs.

A tender heartbeat.

Silk-soft hair...

...and a tiny voice—once brash—but now bleating. Cracking. Confessing.

Six little words... then clinging.

Applejack didn't know when or how it had happened, but she had brought her pillow down to her chest—and she was squeezing it tightly. Tenderly. With eyes locked on the feather, she leaned in and even nuzzled it, bathing her own freckles in rosy warmth.

It wasn't quite as soft... but it didn't matter...

...the memories were fuzzy enough.

And for one frighteningly lucid moment, there were no tears. There were no sighs.

Only a smile... anchored safely in the sanctum of Applejack's room.

It weighed her muzzle even deeper into her pillow as she surrendered to that meager softness... and was carried to slumber by the color of those fresh memories.

Innocent and shameless.

Is It Secret? Is It...?

The cock crowed.

Applejack's eyes opened.

A soft, silver grayness permeated her bedroom. All was as still, simple, and stale as it always had been in that room for as long as she could remember.

And she smiled.

She got up from bed briskly... and tied up her mane even faster. With flouncing bangs, she trotted quickly down the stairs.

Winona could be heard barking outside the kitchen window. Big Mac was trotting in, carrying fresh jugs of milk balanced off his yoke.

Applejack stood at the oven, flipping the last of a fresh stack of pancakes. She hummed to herself, a rosiness clinging to her freckles.

The door opened as Big Mac entered. The kitchen filled briefly with the scent of hay and morning dew. With a slight nod, Big Macintosh acknowledged his sister before trotting off into the living room. He set the milk jugs down so he can pick them up again on his way to Ponyville for the first round of errands.

In the meantime, Applejack divided the stack of pancakes into four servings on four separate plates. She whistled as she dressed the kitchen table.

Big Mac shuffled back in. With an undeniable grumble to his stomach, he sat down at the table and rubbed his fetlocks in hungry anticipation of the breakfast that was newly prepared.

Applejack placed down a tub of butter... and a jar of syrup...

...and she leaned in to hug Big Macintosh from behind.

"... ... ...?" Big Macintosh blinked.

"Soooooo good to see ya, big brother." At last—after a gentle nuzzle—Applejack leaned away and continued setting up the rest of the table. "Such a blessin' to live in a home like this, ya reckon?"

"Errr... eeyup."

"Such bountiful harvests to be had." Applejack smiled as she worked. "Such healthy livestock." She smiled some more. "We could be livin' anywhere in Equestria. Anywhere at all! But here we are... livin' in Sweet Apple Acres. Heh... ain't that somethin' else?"

Big Mac looked curiously at his pancakes, then at Applejack. "You... uhhhhh..." The stallion raised an eyebrow. "...you meet anypony while in Canterlot?"

"Of course I did!" Applejack winked. "I hung out with my friends the entire time!"

Big Mac blinked. "Aaaaaaaand didja meet anypony else?"

Applejack scuffled to a stop. She turned to face him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh... uh... nothin'."

Applejack squinted. "... ... ...ya sure?"

"Eeeeeyup!" And Big Mac thrust his jaws into his breakfast. "Mmrmmmff... scrommmff!"

"... ... ..." Applejack shrugged. "Granny!!!" She hollered towards the ceiling as she trotted across the kitchen. "Apple Bloom! Come get yer vittles, y'all!"

After breakfast...

Applejack trotted upstairs to her bedroom.

She could hear the front screen door opening and slapping shut. Through the window, she spotted Big Mac trotting off towards Ponyville, carrying the milk jugs and drawing a wagon full of fresh hay.

She smiled... then went about to gather her things for the first of many, many chores.

Applejack fetched her saddlebag. Her rope. Extra horseshoes.

Her hat...

"... ... ..." Applejack lingered with her hoof outstretched, touching the brim of the article.

She didn't move. She didn't breathe.

A tail flick. A slight twitch to her fetlocks.

"Mmmmmmmm..."

Her freckled cheeks sunk in a bit. She tongued the inside of her muzzle.

Then, at last...

...Applejack turned the hat over, exposing the feather. Treating it like a dead spider, she lifted the thing in her bare fetlock and trotted briskly towards a waste basket.

Her second-to-last step was a glacial thing, performed in slow motion.

She shut her eyes and exhaled.

When her eyes reopened, time had resumed. With a lurch, Applejack moved past the waist basket...

...and approached her vanity. There, she found a drawer with a small velvet case inside. The mare opened the tiny box and slid the feather neatly in the center of a looped necklace of pearls. Her mother's.

Slap.

She flipped the case shut... then slid the drawer back into the vanity.

The feather couldn't be seen.

But it was there.

And it was safe.

Applejack exhaled with relief. Her next smile was a weak one... but relaxed. She reached over, grasped her hat, then slapped it onto her head.

Moments later, she trotted briskly out of the house...

...and out into very, very familiar fields.

Cloudcover

Sunlight.

Hours of it.

Sunlight and sweat.

Applejack kicked tree after tree.

Apples fell.

She paused to wipe her brow... to breathe... to think...

And when she thought...

...it was all blue.

The mare stumble to a stop beside her wagon. She rested in the shade, inhaling and exhaling the afternoon crispness.

She closed her eyes and lingered in place.

Still blue.

Applejack sighed. She opened her eyes. Pivoting about, she glanced at the top floor windows of Apple Family Farmhouse.

She saw her own bedroom. She imagined her mirror. She imagined the vanity beneath it. She imagined a drawer... with a box... with a feather...

Raising a hoof, Applejack adjusted the brim of her hat. Her head felt clean. Freshly-brushed. Neat.

There was no tickling sensation; the mare felt strangely naked without it—

“Hey, Big Sis! You’re back!”

Applejack jolted in place. She remember the breakfast she made. How scrumptious the pancakes were. How swiftly she had eaten them, smiling the whole time. She hadn't even stayed long enough to say "hi" to Granny Smith or to—

“Oh, howdy, Apple Bloom!” Applejack spoke in a merry tone, fighting the inevitable wince away. She trotted towards the little filly and nuzzled her dearly. Smelling the foal's hair brought her back to the moment, the farm, the familiarity. Her smile returned. “So sorry that I couldn’t say goodnight to you last evening, sugarcube. We all came back from Canterlot super late. Well… some of us later than others.”

Apple Bloom giggled. She adjusted the weight of her school book bag and wriggled in place. The genuine, innocent enthusiam at seeing her older sister for the first time in days was adorably real. "Did you have fun at the Gala?”

“Er… yeah, well…” Applejack plucked her empty hat off and fanned herself. She thought of animal stampedes, falling marble columns, fleeing Canterlot locals. "I… sold a f-few apples, but…" A shattering statue. Applejack's pupils shrank. "Erhm…”

“Applejaaaaaaack…” Apple Bloom smiled. She was listening right through her. “But did you have fun?”

Applejack froze in place. She thought of a petite weight draped against her. Silk-soft hair. Trembles and warm whimpers. A clinging sensation. Starlight.

"Heheh…" Applejack's voice cracked. She shattered the moment by reaching out to ruffle her little sister's mane. "Yeah. Sure thang. I... got my kicks in.”

“Then that’s a good thing, right?” Apple Bloom blinked.

“You betcha!” Applejack returned to wagon.

“Whatcha up to?”

"Mrmmmff!" Applejack heaved a basket of apples into the wagon. “Figured I’d get a fresh start on the Northern Fields.”

Apple Bloom strolled closer. "Want some help?”

The older farm mare gave her a knowing glance. “Don’t you have homework to do, sugarcube?”

“Nope!" Apple Bloom smiled cheekily. "I did it all at recess today!”

“At recess?" Applejack heaved another basket. "Isn’t that when you and all yer fillyfriends should be outside playin’ and enjoyin’ the weather?”

“Nah." Apple Bloom shook her head. "It rained over the schoolhouse for most of the day.”

“Really?" Applejack paused in loading the baskets. "That’s mighty odd.” For a nervous moment, she contemplated the gray skies. She thought of an even grayer looking pegasus, slouched in her seat on board a train with the mother of all hangovers. "I-I thought Rainbow Dash and the other fliers were clearin’ the skies today.”

“Beats me." Apple Bloom shrugged. "Why don’t you ask her?”

"Who?" Applejack lifted another basket. "Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah.” Casually, Apple Bloom turned completely around and pointed skyward. “She’s been floatin’ over our farm for the past half-hour now!”

"!!!" Applejack's breath left her. "She has???” She spun and followed Apple Bloom's forelimb.

Fluffy skies lingered high above. The wispy trails drifted lazily in the air. There was nothing above or behind them. Nothing but blue skies.

Applejack stared... and blinked... and stared some more. Gradually, her ears drooped. She realized her heart was beating. Wildly. It made her curious and nauseous at once.

"Errrrr..." Apple Bloom scratched her head behind her bow. "That's funny." She looked apologetically at her older sister. "I-I could have sworn her squatting on the cloud above us."

"Uh huh..."

"I mean... since when do rainbows flick about at the end of a tail?"

Applejack bit her bottom lip.

"Ah well..." Apple Bloom shrugged. "I must have been seein' things." She looked down, blinking. "Uhhhh... AJ?"

"Hmmm?"

"You dropped yer apples."

"I did?" Applejack looked down.

As it so happened, two whole baskets had been neglectfully dropped to the earth, and the grass around the two siblings was rolling with fresh fruit.

Applejack fidgeted where she stood.

"Hahahaha..." Apple Bloom playfully poked her sister's leg. "Looks like we're both klutzy today!"

"Heheh..." Applejack nodded. She swallowed a lump down her throat. "...reckon it... uhhh... runs in our blood?"

"When's Big Macintosh comin' back from his last trip to town?"

"Huh?"

"I said, when's Big Macint—"

"Oh... uhhh... I dunno."

"You don't know?"

Applejack was staring into the sky again.

"AJ?" Apple Bloom cocked her head to the side. "You feelin' okay?" Her muzzle scrunched. "I sure hope ya didn't catch no city slicker bug while you was in Canterlot. All them hoity toity ponies coughin' and snortin' around you?"

"Err... nothin' of the sort, Apple Bloom. Reckon I've just got a dash of the drowsies..." She locked in place, teeth clenched.

"Heh. If you say so!" Apple Bloom smiled innocently before bouncing away. "I've got to get ready for a meetin' with the Crusaders! Catch ya later, Big Sis!"

"Uhhhh... sure thang..." Applejack waved to the farm, the trees, the clouds. "...sugarcube."

Must Have Stones

One last basket of apples.

"Nnnghhh-guh!" Applejack heaved and panted. Finished loading the fruit into her wagon, she paused beside the vehicle and swiped her brow.

The sun was starting to fall beyond the horizon.

All in all...

...it was a good first day back.

Applejack drew in a long, satisfied breath.

A good first day...

She pivoted about. Her eyes lingered along the top window to her house where her bedroom lay.

She stood under the cascade of evening, reveling in a cool breeze. The wind blew at her bangs. Tickling.

Applejack clenched her jaw.

Shaking her mind from the moment, she hitched herself to the wagon...

...and drew it out of the orchards.

Creeeeeeeeeeeak!

Applejack shut her barn doors, locking the freshly collected apples inside.

After fastening the structure shut, she turned and began slowly trotting across the Acres to her farmhouse.

Another breeze kicked up, cool and pleasant and crisp. Applejack wasn't smiling... but she wasn't frowning either. With soft, lazy steps through the grass, she approached the front of her house before ultimately lingering to a stop.

Once more, her head rose to the second story. Her window rested there, dull and simple. With the fading sunset, she could almost see through the glass... could almost imagine the curved shape of the mirror that stood above her vanity.

Something gray glinted off the pane.

"... ... ..." Applejack turned completely around. She looked up towards the summit of a humble hill. Trees hung over an assortment of gravestones.

The breeze was cool. Inviting.

There were no trembles in Applejack's body as she took a bold step...

...and made for the hilltop.

Loose leaves and dead grass crunched.

The tiny garden surrounding the stones hadn't been looked at in over a week—probably because Applejack had been away at the Gala.

She would have to amend that.

Already, the young mare was fussing with the soil and grass blades situated right in front of the stones. She stopped herself before she got too involved. The sun had set, and the air was just as gray as the stones resting in front of her.

So... with a soft sigh...

...Applejack sat down in front of the graves.

"Eeeeeuhhhh..." She took her hat off. Ears twitched, and she summoned a tranquil smile. "Howdy..."

The stones stood in place.

"I... uh..." Applejack took a breath, cleared her throat, and spoke towards the spaces between the granite. "I've been to the Gala and back. It was... it was somethin' different, alright. I... uhm..."

A brisk wind, chilly this time.

Applejack's hairs rose on end. Her eyes twitched. The grayness of the stones loomed denser. Permeating. Like the thunder clouds.

Empty clouds.

"I... uhm..." Applejack avoided the glossy surfaces of the stones. The names enscribed thereupon. "I had some fun and... I..."

The air grew cooler. The land fell drowsy with it. Shadows bent and blended with the inevitable onset of twilight. The lights in the Apple Family Farmhouse flickered on, one window at a time. Beckoning. She was already late for preparing dinner.

"I... think that I'm..." Applejack squeaked. "That is... reckon I may have found myself a... a... erm..." Applejack trembled.

The first of many owls hooted in the distance. The woods became alive with curious song. Soon, the stars would break out, and the light they shone off the stones would pierce Applejack straight through.

She could almost feel their impenetrable stare already.

"Well! Good t-talk!" Applejack slapped her hat back on, smiled crookedly, and scuffled away from the hilltop. "See ya!"

After washing up...

After dinner...

After tucking Apple Bloom into bed...

...Applejack lay on her covers, limp like a melted pile of orange freckles.

She stared lethargically across the star-lit room.

To her left, she saw the vanity lying in wait... its drawers silent and unmoving. Towards her right, the mare's peripheral vision made out the distant glint of gray gravestones out on the hill outside her window.

Applejack took a long breath... then an even longer one.

She was glued to that spot, and it gnawed at her.

Until...

"Rrrrrrgh..."

She threw her pillow over her head, blinding herself completely.

"Gul-durn it!"

At last, she wriggled her way under the covers and surrendered to the relieving darkness.

"My friends. That's it! Just... gotta be with my friends again..."

Noticeable

Two days later...

"Rarity!" Applejack exclaimed. Her hooves and wagon wheels moved faster across the heart of Ponyville. "Howdy! Whatcha doin' on a day like today?"

"Hmmm?" Rarity looked up in mid-step. Even when the mare paused in the midst of something so mundane as crossing the town street, she somehow made it look dainty and graceful. "Oh!" her voice lilted as she glanced at her saddlebags. "Well, I still have several patches of silk to hoof-sow together for a client of mine. I figured I would do so with a change in scenery." She smiled. "Not to mention a refreshment or two."

"Do I smell Sugarcube Corner?"

"Why, yes, Applejack." Rarity winked in the bright afternoon air. "Why, yes you do."

"I bet Pinkie Pie must be bakin' up something scrumptious."

"Hmmm... yes..." Rarity squinted at Applejack, fighting a curious smile. "I suspect she would be."

Applejack blinked back. "What's the matter?"

"Hmmm? Nothing!"

"Yer lookin' at me awful funny."

"Well, I just can't help it, Applejack. You're..." Rarity's muzzle scrunched delicately as she searched for words. "...alarmingly cheerful this afternoon."

"I am???" It was Applejack's turn to scrunch her muzzle. "So? What the hay's wrong with that?"

"N-nothing!" Rarity remarked, chuckling breathily. "My my... it's so odd seeing you act so expressive. I find it quite refreshing!"

Applejack settled back against the weight of the wagon she was hitched to. "Well... don't I have reasons to be all chipper-like? We done just come back from the Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot, after all."

"You are referring—of course—to the disastorous event that left us all stumbling after our broken dreams?"

"Errrrr..." Applejack gulped. "Yeah, but... we had lots of fun after the Gala!"

Rarity stared.

Applejack sweated. "...didn't we?"

"Well, the rest of us girls certainly did. You—on the other hoof—spent a day with Rainbow Dash and the following morning recovering from... whatever spirits you both drowned in."

Applejack was starting to squirm.

"But!" Rarity was smiling once more. "I must not be giving your memory enough due credit! You undoubtedly recall the joyous conversations we had at the following dinner!"

"I... er..." Applejack tilted the brim of her hat. "Reckon I remember the 'joyous' part."

"Splendid! Maybe we can chat about it over a cup of coffee at Sugarcube Corner!"

"I think that would be a mighty fine idea..." Applejack glanced at her saddlebag. "Unless... I-I dun wanna interrupt your work."

"Oh, don't be silly, darling," Rarity said, waving a hoof. "The sole purpose of this visit is to help my mind relax. I find it best when I'm doing other things while hoof-sewing."

"Uh huh."

"After all, Twilight and Fluttershy are going to be there. I promised that I would meet them. Having you along would be a hearty bonus!"

"Well, shucks. That sounds awfully nice." Applejack breathed warmly, calming down. "I could sure use the company of my bestest gal-pals."

"Is that so?" Rarity smiled. "Well, you may be happy to know that Rainbow Dash has been flying around. Somehow, I suspect she might be dropping by—" Rarity did a double-take as Applejack blurrrred past her with the wagon wheel. "...too?"

"What are ya waitin' for, Rarity?!" Applejack hollered back as she practically stampeded towards the bakery across town with her wagon picking up dust. "Time's a-waistin'!"

Rarity coughed as the dust flew in her face. "I don't suppose it would be rude of me to ask for a ride in that thing while you gallop off like an orange comet?!" There was no response. Rarity shook her head and shuffled after her friend with an amused smile.

"Hey Rarity! Hey AJ!" Pinkie Pie leaned over the front counter of Sugarcube Corner, smiling brightly. "What'll it be?"

"Tear. Earl grey." Rarity smiled, raising a hoof. "Tepid."

"Oki doki loki!" Pinkie scribbled the order down. "And what about you, AJ?"

"Errrr..." Applejack stood, panting, sweating. Her eyes darted continuously towards the front entrance of the bakery. "Whatever she said. Teaming Eels. Turgid."

"Uhhhhhhh..." Pinkie arched an eyebrow. "You sure you want lukewarm tea? You look like you've been inside the toaster! I've got refreshing lemonade!"

"Oh! Sure!" Applejack smiled, tilting her hat blindly. "Whatever ya say, Ponky!"

"Heehee! 'Ponky'! I gotta use that someday!" Pinkie scribbled down the order. "I'll be sure to make it ice cold for my favoooooooooorite work horse!"

"Yuh huh." Applejack looked at the door. "Consarn it... Reckon we got here too fast."

"I'd say." Rarity fanned herself with some silk... then Applejack. "We beat Twilight and Fluttershy by ten minutes at least. Applejack, don't you ever know how to relax calmly?"

"Huh? What? Who?"

Rarity sighed. "My point exactly..."

Just then, the door rang. A shade of blue entered the room, followed by colors.

Applejack's eyes twitched. She stood up straight. "Why, howdy, Rainbow!" She waved. "Yer lookin' bright-eyed and... uh... bushy?"

"Hi Rarity. Hi AJ." Rainbow Dash fluttered briskly past them. "Hey Rainbow. Got some of that Ponyade?"

"You betcha!"

Rainbow slapped a coin down. "I'll take two bottles."

"OooOOooOooh! Extra cloud kicking today?"

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever." Rainbow took two bottles from the freezer, uncapped one, and sipped as she flew towards a table. "Got a window seat! Time to chillax."

"Oooh! Splendid choice, Rainbow!" Rarity trotted happily after her. "Wait until you see the silk that I'm working on for a customer!"

"Meh-huh..."

"... ... ..." Applejack stared in Rainbow's direction. Not once did the two mares make eye contact. She swallowed a lump down her throat. "Say, Pinkie...?"

"Yeah, AJ?"

"... ... ...better make my lemonade servin' extra tall..."

...Still Doing as the Sugarcubes Do

Pinkie gobbled down a tasty treat as she looked across the table full of friends. “What’d you do today, Fluttershy?”

“Oh…” Fluttershy smiled, her body curling and twisting with a feminine squeak. “Spring is the most wonderful time of year. You remember Old Jeremy?”

“Hay, yeah!” Applejack bore a sharp grin, relaxing in her seat. “That’s my favorite tree on your property! Such a strong, stately feller too.”

“Mmm…" Fluttershy nodded. "Well, this year there’ve been two nests built into the boughs of Old Jeremy’s branches. Which is pretty rare, believe it or not. So I spent all afternoon looking after the newborn baby birds while their mothers and fathers went out to fetch some more food. They’re just sooooo cute, and they make the most delightful high-pitched noises when they’re newly born. I can’t wait until they’re old enough to sing and actual melody. That’ll be a really, really… happy day.”

“Well..." Applejack nodded thoughtfully. "...if you ask me, it sounds like a regular ol’ drop of heaven.” She leaned back, scraping the ceiling with bright green eyes that pulsed with each word. “Golly, if there ain’t nothin’ in this world I like than layin back after a long day of apple buckin’ and just… listenin’ to the birds do their thang for nature’s symphony.”

She chewed on her bottom lip. The conversation had gone around the table in a perfect circle multiple times over the past twenty minute. Of all the ponies gathered there, all had joined the chorus. All but one.

Surely it wouldn't be too out of place if she... if she dared to—

"How about you, Rainbow Dash?" Applejack's heart shuddered as she produced those words. Nevertheless, with cavalier farm mare grit, she pierced the opposite end of the table "Ya do anythang today?”

Applejack expected lots of things: a sarcastic squeak. A declaration of boredom. A spontaneous tail of pegasus bravado.

What Applejack did not expect was abject silence. But it was precisely what she got.

That... and a tiny, breathy hum.

“Hmmmm…" Rainbow's figure shifted, nestled in her chair. The sunset was bleeding its way through the windows to Sugarcube Corner, and its glare temporarily obscured Rainbow's expression.

Applejack fought the urge to curse like a sailor. Maintaining a solid breath, she arched an eyebrow and threw a teensy bit of sass into the moment: "Hello, earth to sky pony?”

The stillness persisted. Even Rarity and Twilight were starting to squirm.

Fluttershy coughed for some reason—

Rainbow blurted something beneath her breath, then sat up straight with—as Applejack could finally see—a tired, wispy expression. “Wait, what?”

Applejack was genuinely amused. There was a flutter to her stomach again, and it faintly reminded her of a wayward soul—tiny and precious—that she had held and comforted in a dark alleyway.

“Whatcha doin’ in la-la land over there, sugarcube?” Applejack chuckled. Halfway through the chortle, she realized she was using the same tone of voice she used to tease Apple Bloom. Something about that froze her insides, and she switched it into a more casual gear: “We... were tryin’ to give it the gab! Or at least that’s what I thought we were—”

“Oh! My day! Yeah…” Rainbow Dash grinned. “Such a… good… good day! Full of… y’know… G-good stuff.” She gulped. She looked on the verge of sweating.

Applejack squinted. Was Rainbow still drunk? This long after the Gala? Surely she wasn't the kind of pony to constantly—

“Yaaaay!” Pinkie flipped across the table, flailing a spontaneous array of steamers. “That sounds like fun!” She paused. “I think?”

Rarity looked at Rainbow Dash. “What did you do that was so spectacular, darling?" she asked.

“Oh… y’know…” And Rainbow prattled on, her eyes meeting everypony else's... everypony's but Applejack's.

Or so Applejack thought. She couldn't tell. Her eyes were locked on the tabletop between them... and the tile floor below. When the conversation eventually swung back to her, she answered robotically, throwing in a few countryisms for good measure so her friends wouldn't suspect a thing... even though Applejack didn't know what the "thing" was. In truth, Applejack didn't know what to make of the moment. Everything about that day... about that moment was just...

...confusing.

Apple Dashery: Special Edition in 3D

Applejack momentarily put her mulling thoughts aside.

Because right there...

Inside Sugarcube Corner... ...

... ... ...Rainbow Dash was sharing the mother of all Ghastly Gorge stunt stories:

"So there I was... being chased by half-a-dozen of these big, scaley things. Just one chomp of their fangs, and they'd have me for dinner. I knew that if I tried to fly up and ascend above the walls of the ravine, that'd give the creeps enough open air to lunge for me. Nope, there'd be no flying away from this chase like a coward. If I had any hope of shaping them, I'd have to fly to the end of the Gorge until it got thin enough that I could squeeze past the rock and get away from them unharmed."

"What... wh-what did you do?" Rarity asked, shivering slightly.

It was the kind of suspenseful response Rainbow was evidnetly searching for. Applejack watched closely as the petite pegasus continued with her adventure yarn: "I knew that 'Boulder Pass' was ahead of me. Most of the rocks that clung to the walls there were super unstable. A single sneeze could cause an avalanche! Now, I've flown through this Gorge enough times that I could practically do it in my sleep. That's how I knew I'd be comfortable enough to do it in the dark. I just didn't account for having a bunch of fat worms on my tail, their rancid breaths filling my nostrils. But, I timed it just right."

"Timed what just right, Dashie?" Pinkie asked, eyes bright.

"Right when doom was upon me... Right when any second meant that I was gonna become eel food... I twirled sideways and bucked the ever-living-snot out of the ravine wall! All of Boulder Pass shook, and—sure enough—it snowed rocks and pebbles all over the place! Those stupid scale-faces didn't know what hit them! They had flown straight into a rainstorm of stones, and I'd be a donkey's niece if not one of them suffered a killer concussion! Hah! It sounded like coconuts snapping behind me! I think I even heard one of them squealing in pain like a little sissy!"

Applejack squinted. "So... you mean..."

"Yup! They turned tail and ran! And I... got to finish the flight." Rainbow winked proudly. "The first pony to have flown through Ghastly Gorge at night... and lived. And she's totally standing right here."

Pinkie Pie was already cheering: "Wooohooo! Way to go Dashieeee!"

"Simply marvelous!" Rarity likewise applauded. "Such a fantastic, riveting yarn!"

"Incredible, Rainbow!" Twilight Sparkle remarked, breathless. "Such quick thinking! Any other pony who was unfamiliar with the Gorge couldn't possibly have survived that!"

Applejack ignored a worried, mothersome flutter in her chest. Clearing her throat, she stated: "Gotta admit, it took a lot of spunk. Just flyin' into that nasty place to begin with is like signin' yer own death warrant."

"Yeah, well..." Rainbow Dash casually reclined. "It looks like somepony slipped in some invisible ink." The room filled with laughter. "Yup! If anypony's gonna be pranking death, you're looking right at her!"

As the conversation spun wildly around, Applejack spent a prolonged period of time simply staring at the pegasus. Her petite frame. Her devilish smirk.

She tried imagining any of that getting in the way of blood-thirsty moray eels... and it was difficult not to cringe. In a blink, Applejack remembered the tearful mare she had practically cradled to herself in a Canterlot alleyway. So much soft fuzz. Silk sighs. Something so precious would snap under the tiniest of pressure.

Right?

Applejack exhaled heavily. She adjusted the brim of her hat to hide the droop in her ears...

Night Lasso'd

"Good night, everypony!" Rarity's voice rang. Night had fallen and the friends were finally parting ways outside the entrance to Sugarcube Corner. "It was a most delightful dinner! We must do it again soon!" Rarity motioned at Fluttershy. "Come along, darling. I'll escort you home."

"Oh, Rarity, that's so kind of you."

"Yes, well, one does emulate another's grace after much exposure."

"So long!" Twilight Sparkle gave a wave and made her way for the library in the center of town. "I'll have done lots of research before we hang out again so I can tell you all about it!"

Mixed groans and giggles filled the starry air. Pinkie Pie was saying something, but Applejack scarcely made it out. Something to do with "cupcakes" or "muffins" no less.

The day had died. This very moment—like all others—was fleeting. Only now, with her tail flicking anxiously, Applejack was nakedly aware of it. Her wandering eyes fell on Rainbow Dash—reduced to a prismatic glint hovering at roof-level. Any second and she would be gone. This opportunity would be gone.

Opportunity for what?

Applejack had no answers... just a burning desire to stop all of time itself.

Before the farm mare knew it, a pink hoof was waving.

A blue fetlock waved back. Wings blurred. Ruby eyes glinted with starlight and approached the vanishing point—

"Hold on...!!!" Applejack caught the lilt in her throat and finished with meager grace. "...there just a second, Sugarcube."

To her joy, Rainbow Dash stopped.

To her horror... Rainbow Dash stopped.

"You need something, Applejack?" she asked.

"I..." Applejack threw her voice over the hurdles of her own heartbeat. "...just wanted to ask ya somethin'." She stood dead still. "If y-ya don't mind."

Rainbow Dash lowered and lowered, hovering at eye level. "What's on your mind? I mean... I've totally got places to be."

"Heheh..." Applejack laughed nervously, masking the urge to tremble. "More Gorges to fly through." A gulp. "I reckon."

Rainbow's response was awkwardly delayed. "Maybe?"

Then, with a deep breath, Applejack boldly asked: "Ya mind standin' for a second? I can't see yer face from here."

"Oh... r-right. Uhm." Rainbow deflated. She shrank—and yet she didn't. She was always this small. Only—now, with a fresh stab of confidence—Applejack had skewered the truth and forced it to stand in place before her.

"I was just wonderin', about that amazin' tale you just spun today—" Applejack began speaking, but tripped over herself. She literally had to tilt her head down to look at Rainbow Dash directly. Her heart skipped a beat, like cresting the first hump of a roller coaster. She wondered why she never obsessed over it before. Perhaps that's why—on this particular occasion—she allowed the thoughts to pierce the air. " Whoah Nelly!"

"What?!" Rainbow's shadow twitched.

"I just realized, I'm a good three inches taller than you!" Applejack wheezed halfway through the stupid statement. She hoped to Celestia that the moonlight didn't catch her burning freckles. In truth, she counted something closer to "five" inches, but she compensated before the sentence was done—for Rainbow's sake. "Unless it's just my imagination speakin'," she further blurted. Then, daringly: "You ever noticed that?"

"Yes. I totally have." It was a swift and firm response—one that Applejack didn't expect. "Er, I mean... pfft. It's all in your stupid hat, silly."

Applejack blinked. "How in tarnation does that work?"

An awkward breath rippled between them. "I have n-no clue."

Silence.

Rainbow Dash drew the topic of conversation back into the starlight. "You... uh... w-were gonna ask me about Ghastly Gorge—?"

"Oh! Right." Applejack took a breath. "You said that you escaped the eels by kickin' the walls of Boulder Pass and makin' the rocks fall on them until they let up and stopped chasin' you, right?

"I'm pretty sure that's the awesomeness that took place. Why?"

"Not tryin' to sass you none, but I couldn't help but wonder..." Applejack leaned forward. "It had to been pretty dark, right?"

"I could barely see the end of my own muzzle. Yeah. What's your point?"

"Well... I mean, sure—you had the Gorge memorized from years and years of flyin' through it, but... How could you have seen through the rain of boulders to have come out of the whole mess safely yourself? I reckon you were familiar with Boulder Pass, but it's not like you had the power to see the fallin' rocks yerself, right?"

"Oh... yeah... well..."

"Was it... was it just dumb luck?"

Rainbow Dash didn't respond. Applejack sensed she was looking towards the surrounding rooftops.

"Sugarcube...?"

"I... uh..." Rainbow looked back. "I'm gonna tell you something, AJ. Something of a secret."

Applejack's heart ran cold. "S-secret?" she stammered.

"It's something that no other ponies know," Rainbow said. Then she said something that froze Applejack even harder. "Not even Fluttershy."

The farm mare's trembles caught up to her. She hid it beneath a smirk. "Now this should be interestin'."

"Well..." Rainbow began. "You see... the reason I could make my way through Boulder Pass... or half of the Gorge for that matter... is because of the eels."

"Huh?" Applejack blinked. "I'm afraid you've lost me."

"That's okay. Uhm... Y'know how I told you that the Quarry Eels are used to livin' in the dark?"

"Right..."

"Well, turns out Mother Nature built them something to deal with that. Basically... their eyes glow."

"Really?"

"Yup! It's got this freaky pale green shine to it too! Like someone vomited over a flashlight and decided to aim it at a wall or something. Heheheh..."

"Land's Sakes, that's mighty unbelievable..." Applejack shook her head. Then, her neck snapped in thought—like a petite pegasus colliding with a granite statue. "Wait a minute, then that must mean—"

"Having them chase me was the only thing lighting my path," Rainbow said. "And, y'know, in the heat of the moment, I had kinda lost my bearings. I was a lot younger then, so... eheheh... even more stupid. I didn't even remember Boulder Pass was in front of me until the eels' eyes light it up. So, you see, Applejack..." The pegasus shrugged. "To finish my flight through Ghastly Gorge, I needed them to chase me."

Applejack felt like grimacing. What Rainbow Dash did was so dangerous... so suicidal... sto stupid....

"That's... that's plum incredible!" she ultimately said.. "Why didn't you tell that to the girls at the table? It woulda absolutely floored them!"

"Heh... because it's much cooler the way I told it," Rainbow Dash replied suavely, looking adorable in the process. "Not to mention a lot more suspenseful to make it look like I relied on total luck in the dark. Well, the luck part still applies, but if they knew about the eels and their eyes lighting up everything..."

"But wait..." Applejack squinted. "Does that mean that you could've flown out of the Gorge at any time? I mean, if they had to light you up to see you—"

"Ehhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash nodded. "Yeahhhh. I guess I could have."

"Rainbow!" Applejack frowned. Genuinely. "No kiddin' about being young and stupid! Shoot, you could have been gobbled up at any moment! What was so important about flyin' through that Gorge that you had to nearly kill yerself doin' it!"

"Because..." Rainbow Dash hesitated, then ultimately said, "Because sometimes fear is the one thing that makes me feel like I'm really alive. And conquering it."

Silence.

Applejack couldn't imagine the sheer amount of courage that somepony so small and...

...so precious as her best friend had to possess to take on the world... to take on this moment.

"It's just that... y'know..." Rainbow tossed her mane and looked straight at her. "Some fear is... easier than others."

Applejack understood that.

But that wasn't all she understood.

"Yer..." She smiled warmly. "Yer an amazin' pony, Rainbow Dash."

Mirror Mirror

For a second there, Applejack thought Rainbow Dash was about to take off. The mare's wings stretched out, the stiff feathers' tips fluttering in the breeze.

But, to her relief, the petite pegasus merely stood there and chuckled.

"Eheheheheh..." Rainbow tossed her mane, obscured in the shadows of the fallen evening. "You r-really think so?"

It took Applejack's neurons a few seconds to fire and remind her just what compliment she had given. "Know so," Applejack reinforced, nodding. She felt confident. Bold. So—"You doin' alright lately?"

Rainbow's wings twitched. "Uhhhh... s-sure!" Her voice cracked extra hard. "What... makes you ask that?"

Applejack immediately regretted asking. She realized how delicate and fragile the bridge was that she had decided to traverse. One step too heavy and she might collapse entirely. "Was just wonderin'." True to herself, she decided to produce the truth. Funny how difficult that had become. "I hadn't seen you since the weekend of the gala. And when I last did—"

Applejack's voice trailed off. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she couldn't afford to be totally honest. The very thought of it nauseated her. But remembering how drunk and frail and precious Rainbow Dash had become nauseated her even more—or, more accurately, sharing that fact with Rainbow Dash frightened her to the point of throwing up. How could she tear the pegasus down when she didn't even know how far she had fallen? It felt horrible, like stomping in the skull of a newborn, flightless foal. Applejack lingered for bit longer than she had expected, and she hoped to pick herself—and her voice—back up before the mare in front of her became any wiser. She only prayed that the time wasted wasn't tell-tale enough.

"Well, anyhow..." Applejack smiled nervously in the direction of Sugarcube Corner. "This was a nice little evenin' we all had, wasn't it?"

"Yeah..." Rainbow's voice was just as wispy as Applejack's, and somehow that was a welcoming thing. "It totally was. I wouldn't mind if—"

Rainbow Dash was rambling. Applejack could tell. She was mortified that she had done something to make Rainbow uncomfortable. After all, it wasn't very common for her to ask so many questions—especially out of nowhere. And if she knew it, Rainbow must have too. She had to cover for the moment. She had to do something to let the silly scamp know that this was something purely friendly... purely platonic. Applejack trusted on instinct.

But... she had momentarily forgotten that her instincts had changed.

As a result, she was too late to stop what was already happening. Before she wknew it, she was reaching over to hug the mare—petite wings and all. It wasn't until a few seconds into the gesture that Applejack realized just how selfish it was. But—for the briefest of moments—she didn't care. All of the preciousness of that sacred moment in the alleyway had come washing back, only devoid of all the melancholy. It was just as tender and warm and special as she had remembered, worth a million feathers locked up in a million boxes hidden away in a million vanities.

"Just know that if ya ever need anythang, from any of us, we're just a cloud-hop away, ya hear?"

That was all Applejack needed. Celestia knows, it was more than Rainbow needed. Nevertheless, Applejack drifted back from the hug... but she did something even more selfish along the way, and even though a part of her suspected it would happen, it set her insides on fire all the same: she brushed a few of Rainbow's bangs with her fetlock. The silk-soft reality came slamming back to her consciousness, and it took her a few seconds to compose herself. However, at the end of the warm breath, she was smiling... and giving more words as faithfully as she could:

"Yer a loyal pony, but we're loyal too. We're all there for each other, and that includes the most awesome pony in town." She winked, finishing the deal. "So don't become a stranger, ya hear?"

"Uh... no way, AJ..." Rainbow replied quickly. "We'll never be strangers. You can bet your farm on that!" Even in the darkness, Rainbow's ruby eyes glinted with bravado. Applejack instantly felt silly for ever thinking she could even accidentally slip something past her loyal, quick-witted friend.

"Good night, sugarcube," the farm mare said. "Don't let the cloud bugs bite." She laughed nervously, then turned around with swift purpose. Surely Rainbow Dash was flying away without hesitation, but the mare had done enough. She wouldn't linger around this time to watch the event unfold.

Besides, she had to out-trot the suffocating guilt of what had just transpired. Minutes later, stumbling into Sweet Apple Acres, she discovered that she had been almost successful.

False Alarms

Applejack had been up for three hours, but it was only just now that she awoke.

It was in the middle of bucking an apple tree along the northern orchards.

She stopped in place, sweating from mane to tail. She breathed... panted... stared off into the distance.

In a blink, Applejack imagined she was back to the night before... back to chatting with Rainbow Dash... back to giving her a quick, friendly, platonic hug.

In the dark, under the stars, with nothing but the chill wind of the night to enshroud the moment...

...Rainbow Dash had responded with quick, friendly, and platonic nonchalance.

Applejack blinked. She glanced down at her own fetlocks.

It had been a test.

She tested Rainbow Dash.

Such a stealthy action was sneaky... and far from honest.

In truth, Applejack didn't even know she had it in her.

The mare bit her lip. Erasing the fuzzy thought from her mind, she drifted to the next tree, swung her rear legs, and kicked it aggressively... then proceeded to do so with the next few trunks.

The next day...

"Woohooo!" A filly with a schoolbag paused in the middle of the Ponyville road to jump and cheer. "The clouds are being cleared!"

"Alright!" A colt grinned brightly. "We get to play hoofball after all!"

Even a few adults were chuckling and applauding as a warm swath of sunlight rolled over the town.

"...?" Applejack looked straight up from where she was pulling a wagon across Ponyville. As her emerald eyes glittered with sunlight, she bore a wide smile. She waved wildly to the heavens.

Swoooooooooosh! A petite pegasus soared straight overhead without so much as stopping. Applejack could scarcely see her eyes, much less tell where they were looking.

The farm mare blinked. Before she was done exhaling, Rainbow Dash had flown far out of view, becoming a faint blue dot along the horizon. Applejack's ears drooped, and with a dull sigh—she trotted off towards the furthest end of the marketplace. Alone.

The day after that...

"Mmmmm..." Rarity looked up from her end of the table at Sugarcube Corner. "That reminds me. Has anypony seen Rainbow Dash?"

"No." Twilight shook her head as she flipped through a book. "I can't say that I have."

"No." Fluttershy paused in nibbling on a biscuit. "I haven't seen her."

"Oooh!" Pinkie Pie waved her hoof. "I have!"

Applejack looked up. Until then, she had been staring dispassionately into a plate full of doughnuts. With a spark of joy, she opened her freckled muzzle to speak—

"She stopped by for a bottle of Dr. Pony!" Pinkie grinned wide. "She had a lot of stuff to do! Pegasus weather flying stuff!"

"My oh my..." Rarity fluffed her mane. "That pegasus is most certainly stepping up her game."

"She's always been the best flier when the Cloudsdale Weather Commission needed help," Fluttershy said with a proud smile.

"Uhhhh..." Pinkie Pie tapped her chin. "I think it was different this time. I overhead something to do with deliveries? Something something Banner Company?"

"Oh." Rarity took another sip. "Good to know that Rainbow Dash is expanding her horizons, as t'were."

"Mmmmhmmm." Twilight managed, digging her nose back into a book.

"... ... ..." Exhaling, Applejack stared back into the tabletop of the bakery.

Nightfall.

Applejack shuffled lethargically through the upper floor of her house.

At last, she came upon her bedroom, and the shadows contained therein.

Everything hung heavily off her worn limbs.

She didn't even bother with brushing her mane this time.

With more of a grunt than a sigh, she slumped down on her bed. She stared up at the moonlight-tainted ceiling of her room...

...then stared for a prolonged period of time at the vanity across the way.

Silence.

"Drunk," Applejack finally said.

Her muzzle hung upon the precipice of a frown.

"Dang varmint was just... dr-drunk..."

Applejack was a pony used to the truth. Rarely did it ever hurt this much.

She wrapped the thought around her like a blanket and curled up in bed, hoping slumber would dam the moisture building in her eyes.

Freckle Revolution

Days passed...

Mornings of waking up to sighs.

Afternoons of sweating to routine.

Evening of saying the same words to the same family members under the same roof.

With each progressive sunset, the lines in Applejack's muzzle grew harder and harder.

It became an issue when she nearly snapped at Big Macintosh for simply asking if he could help with putting supper together. "Reckon I ain't good enough to make vittles on my own!" she had barked, or something close to it. She felt sick for hours afterwards. Those words belonged to a cantankerous old mare like Granny Smith, not her.

An apology was given to Big Macintosh in the form of a freshly-baked apple pie. Not that it mattered; the stallion had evidently forgotten all about it. He trotted around the farm with a soft smile on his broad muzzle. Applejack knew that he was making frequent visits to Fluttershy's cottage, doing work around her house, building enclosures for the various animals in the pegasus' care, talking about anything and everything, sharing, living. Something about this new phase in the older brother's existence evidently enriched him—a joy gained through osmosis.

It was the first time Applejack ever remembered envying her older brother.

She sat on the bed in her room under nightfall, gazing into shadows, contemplating it. Contemplating herself... the pieces that she was struggling to pick up.

She had something much like Big Macintosh did. However, it was nothing more than a mere glimpse. A flash. A flicker of light that was there and gone again. Had it shone longer—perhaps—Applejack would have had an opportunity to study the details... to understand the contours of this new landscape she found looming over her.

But all she had left was a faint aura... a color... a feeling.

It was then that she contemplated that maybe... just maybe the feeling was far more important than the substance.

Longingly, her eyes darted across the room. She looked at a lonely mare in the mirror... then down at the drawers of the vanity just beneath the glass. A knob lingered, glinting in starlight.

Applejack swallowed a lump down her throat. On stiff legs, she stood up and trotted across the creaking floorboards of her room. Rather swiftly, she opened the drawer and produced the tiny velvet container. Opening it, she exposed the feather to her eyesight for the first time in so many nights.

And instantly her insides melted. She hadn't even touched it yet. Just seeing it there... embracing the reality... remembering with a brand new freshness the concept... the liberating idea of being needed... and worshipped...

She sighed. A melodic thing. For the first time in so many evenings, it enriched her instead of deflating her.

She carried the feather back to the bed—container and all—and placed it beside her pillow. Snapping it safely shut, she laid down and kept the thing close—unfocused—in the center of her vision.

It wasn't exposed. But it was close. It was nearby.

And it was hers.

Nopony needed to know. Not even her. Applejack need only feel.

And she did... and the smile accompanied her through the softest, most relaxing sleep she had enjoyed in weeks. When she awoke, it was with a brand new vibrance. So it was with a great deal of shameless courage that she plucked the feather completely from the container, stuck it in her hat, and plopped the article atop her blonde head.

There, it would continue to be nearby. Safe. And hers.

She owned it—if only for the sake of knowing she could earn something. And—with an extra kick in her step—she carried that enthusiasm into a full day of farm labor.

She would soon find out that it was sorely needed...

Radish, I say!

Applejack spent a full, rich day in the fields.

She only wished that she was having to deal with nothing but apples.

"That's just the thang, Applejack," Big Macintosh said, huffing. He drew a large wagon full of large barrels. "Granny Smith won't talk about it 'cuz she's ignorin' just how deep of a plight we're in!"

"She ain't denyin' nothin', Big Mac!" Applejack retorted, dropping a few bucked apples into a basket and heaving it into the wagon. She was drenched and sweat and dust from hours of working the orchards, but she made sure to keep her hat—and the fragile treasure beneath it—in one piece. "She's found her own separate peace. If ya just went up and talked to her about it, I'm sure she'd offer several bits of priceless wisdom!"

"Ya know how choked up she gets whenever she remembers what happened to Ma and Pa!"

"Yeah, and...?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to do with anythang?"

"Why, everythang, AJ!" Big Macintosh exclaimed. "It was one heck of a heavy loss—not just for us, y'know. Now we're bottoming under—"

"We ain't bottomin' under—"

"We're bottoming under and Sweet Apple Acres stands to lose so... so much more! An old mare like that just... can't deal with somethin' so heavy-like!"

"Granny's a heapin' lot stronger than ya think, big brother."

"Even still, it's time that we took charge of thangs!"

"Hah!" Applejack smirked bitterly. "Who's 'we?'"

"I can come up with good ideas too!"

"Yeah?" Applejack wiped her brow. "Like what?"

"Share-croppin', for one!" Big Macintosh's eyes narrowed. "We share the land with another family and we split the profits! At least for a few harvests, then we divvy up the land again!"

"Uh huh..." Applejack squinted at him. "With which family, exactly?"

Big Macintosh took a breath, then said: "The Radishes."

"Ya mean Golden and her kin?" Applejack grimaced. "No-way, no-how!"

"Whatcha got against Golden Harvest?"

"Ain't nothin' I've got against her!" Applejack stomped her hoof. "It's the folks she lets do the numbers for her! Ya think our farm is bad off now with low profits?! We let them into the fold, and things will really go up in smoke!"

"They've been at it for a long time, AJ. They're experienced."

"They're Radish farmers. Ain't nothin' but bad luck!"

"Hrmmmff... now yer startin' to sound like ol' Uncle Rust."

"Hah!" Applejack couldn't help but smirk. "You comparin' me to stubborn Uncle Rust?! Whew... I think you should be checkin' yer ears, Big Mac. Fluttershy's mane hair's gettin' clogged up in yer brain noodle!"

Big Macintosh shrunk instantly, his muzzle turning twice-red. "N-now that's p-pushin' it too far, AJ..."

"Is it? Is it really?" The younger sister leaned towards him, wagging her eyebrows. "Hmmm?"

Just then, a foal's voice echoed from across the fields. "Hey! Applejack! Big Mac!" Apple Bloom called out. "Come to the farm house! We've got ourselves a delivery pony!"

"Hmmm..." Big Macintosh looked over at Applejack. "We expectin' a package?"

"Guess we are now." Applejack trotted briskly to the house. "I'll sign for it. Every time you put a pen to your muzzle, it looks like a dragon tryin' to draw a bird through a window."

"Mrfffnghhh..." Big Mac trotted after her. "You really should give the Radishes a chance."

"Big Mac..."

"Considerin' the alternative, don't we owe it to ourselves to reach out to them?!"

"For the last time, Big Macintosh..." Applejack entered the house through the kitchen door and grumbled over her shoulder. "We can’t be share-croppin’ with no Radish Ranchers! Judgin’ from the way they messed up their western crops last winter, they ain’t in the business of preparing for the changin’ seasons! So I ain’t havin’ none of them near our land! I don’t care how desperate we are—”

Just as she said the word "desperate," her eyes grazed across something blue. Something fuzzy. Something trailing with heart-stopping bands of color.

The farm mare skidded to a stop, jerking so hard that her hat flew off.

“Land’s sakes!” She beheld the petite pegasus with a quivering expression. "Rainbow! Apple Bloom said that we had a delivery pony! The lil’ filly said nothin’ about you bein’ here…”

“Errrrr…" Rainbow's voice cracked as adorably—as heavenly—as ever. She stood in the center of the kitchen with a damnably cute yellow apron clad to her lithe figure. "Th-there’s a reason for that.”

Applejack narrowed her eyes on what turned out to be a delivery uniform. “Wait a tick… are…” She leaned forward. “Are you…?”

But Rainbow was leaning forward as well... leaning above a certain brown stetson. “Here! Lemme get that—”

Applejack's eyes twitched. In a flicker of darkness, she saw a statue shattering into a million pieces across the royal lawn. She held onto the thought, and it trembled against her, squeaking six desperate words that were about to melt in a blink.

“No!!” Applejack shouted, lunging to preserve them.

Rainbow jolted backwards, nearly knocking a vase of flowers over.

Applejack—in the meantime—had grabbed the hat and slapped it safely over her skull. She felt the flutter of a feather drifting loosely in the hollow of the article. Its ticklish softness made her tremble... so that she looked awkwardly at Rainbow Dash in a brand new lucidity.

“I’ve been… uh…” Applejack fought the urge to tremble. She scoured the heavens for a half-truth... half-truth. "I’ve been workin’ mighty hard on the orchards all day, and I’ve gotten this thing mighty sweaty. It… uhm… wouldn’t be proper, ya hear?”

She breathed with relief. In some way, it was a full-truth.

“Uhhhhhh s-sure!” Rainbow Dash responded with a perky smile. “I hear!”

“Yeah… uhm…” Applejack lingered, seeking another concrete thing to say. Something assertive... strong... affirmative. “Nice apron.”

Speedy Delivery

“Pfft, yeah, as if—” Rainbow Dash’s eyes fell to her apron, then back at the mare who had complimented her. She squinted with evident confusion. "You really think so?”

Applejack bit her lip. She couldn't afford to tap-dance around this any longer. She simply didn't have the mental, mechanical devices.

To her relief, a big stumbling oaf trotted into the house. “AJ?” Big Mac found her and frowned. “I know the Radish Family have made an awful bunch of mistakes in the past, but they could use our help as much as we could use theirs. Besides, wouldn’t it be neighborly to—” He saw Rainbow Dash and instantly shut up, body locked in place.

Rainbow Dash—thankfully—possessed more charm than the rest of the household combined. "Uhhhh… hey there, Mac Attack!" she said with a cute wave.

"... ... ...” was the stallion's response.

Applejack briefly face-hoofed before muttering obligatorily: “Big Macintosh, we have company.”

The stallion nodded. "Eeyup.”

“Didja... know that Rainbow was workin’ the town’s delivery routes?”

He nodded again. "Eenope.”

Silence.

Applejack rolled her eyes and jabbed her older brother in the side. "Take five, Big Mac. Why don’tcha go see if Fluttershy finished with the medicine for the hogs?”

“Ahem…” Big Macintosh slowly, slowly trotted out of the place. “Eeeyup.”

Once he was gone, Rainbow Dash hovered closer to Applejack. “He… uh… he’s a regular Gettysbuck Addresser.”

“Depends on who he’s addressin’.” It was refreshing to tell the truth without second-guessing it. Applejack tilted her hat towards a normal position and managed the first legitimate smile since she saw Rainbow Dash. “So, Miss Speedy Delivery...”

“Hardy har har…”

Applejack couldn't look at her straight. The flutter inside her hat was being matched by something far closer to her tummy.

She was only drunk. She was only drunk.

She was only—

"Reckon I need to sign for something," Applejack said.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash nodded, fumbling to produce her company clipboard. "Then I’ll be out of your hair.”

"Pffft!" Applejack winced hard, ducking as if the thing in her hat might decapitate her like a feathery guillotine. She recovered with a cheeky grin. "You... s-say that as if yer a nuisance or somethin', Rainbow!"

"I… uhm… er…”

Applejack finally found the courage to look at her, throwing on the sass. "Somethin’ wrong? I think that apron’s ridin’ you the wrong way.”

“I just… c-can’t afford to be distracted for too long, Applejack.”

Distracted?

“Distracted?” Applejack repeated, squinting.

"Busy schedule and all that!” Rainbow Dash said, smirking as devilishly as ever.

Applejack stared at her... searching... pondering. At long last, she found the strength to... shrug. "Whatever." She trotted deeper into the kitchen. "I’d be a dag-blame’d fool if I did anythang to hurt yer job. C’mon now. I think I left the family pen in here somewhere.”

Rainbow fluttered after her. "Family pen? You mean you guys only keep one between the four of you?”

"Apples ain’t like writin’ a novel everyday.”

“Heheh… I’ll take your word for it.”

Loyalty Lends

Applejack was a sweaty earth pony... but that didn't mean she couldn't master the fine art of hoofwriting. Or—perhaps in this case—mouthwriting. She stood with the clipboard lying atop the kitchen counter, and she spent an extraordinary amount of time writing her name in exquisite cursive.

More often than not, throughout her life, her short summer with the Oranges in Manehattan worked wonders...

She was doing just fine until the damned adorable sky horse next to her cracked her voice: "Wowsers, Applejack. Who knew you could get all fancy with your letters?"

"Mrmmfy mffr mffr... Nnngh..." Applejack finished the signature and spat her pen out. "Ptooie! Hardy har har, Rainbow. Just because I buck apples all day doesn't make me any less educated or refined than the next pony."

"I didn't mean anything nasty by it!" Rainbow exclaimed, she picked up the clipboard and fidgeted in place awkwardly.

Applejack didn't give her a chance to cover for herself. "Well, good. Cuz I can't imagine them folks yer workin' for payin' ya to sass the clients!"

"Jeez, what's with you and that 's' word, anyways?" Rainbow slid the clipboard into her yellow apron. "Take the first letter off, and you've got what you sound like each time you use it."

"I'm just pullin' yer tail feathers, sugarcube."

"I don't have tail feathers, AJ," Rainbow grunted.

"Ya know what I mean." Applejack squinted at her. "If ya don't mind me askin', just why are ya doin' the whole apron-fly-by thang anyways?"

"What?" Rainbow Dash blinked. "Don't act like you haven't seen me in the delivery business before."

"Sure, but that was—what—two years ago? A year and a half? Seems to me that—once we all settled into Twilight's delightful little posse and all—you gave up all the borin' stuff and just started chasing your dreams."

"Yeah, well, let's just say I had to wake up," Rainbow said. A shrug. "Just a little."

"Yeah..." Applejack murmured under her breath. Her eyes fell to the floor, observing... admiring her clueless friend's tiny, tiny hooves. "Ya doin' alright for yerself, sugarcube?" Applejack she asked, immediately regretting it. "Ya ain't starvin' for bits, are ya?"

"Hah! Who, me?" Rainbow Dash smirked as devilishly as ever. Applejack felt dismayed and relieved all at once. "I'm the last pony you should ever be worried about, Anxiousjack!"

Applejack blinked, and once again she imagined the pale statue shards. The dark alleyway. Pursed lips and delicate breaths. "Didn't say nothin' about being worried, darlin'—"

"I'm just savin' up for something gnarly, that's all!" Rainbow breathed steadily. "Yup. Got my eyes set on something radical and I figured getting a second job to cover things would be pretty smexical."

Applejack felt like snorting. "Pretty what?"

"Smexical! Pfft. I don't blame you for not knowing what it means. I just made it up!" Rainbow tossed her mane in extra-adorable fashion. "That's how confident about how awesome things are going!"

Applejack felt like giggling. She stifled it—however—beneath a sisterly breath. "Oh! Well... erm... I'm... plum glad that you're in such a good spot!"

"Dang straight! It's a good time to be alive!" Rainbow Dash looked at her. "Yeah... so... very good... and alive..."

Applejack stared back.

She bit her lip.

She tried not to tremble.

What if there was more?

What if all of Rainbow's nonchalance over the past week and a half had been an act...?

Rainbow crushed all of that with a perky exclamation: "Whelp! Best be going!" She turned tail and made for the nearest window.

Applejack honestly didn't want her to leave, and she almost hated herself for having a legitimate excuse to prevent it: "Rainbow... you forgettin' something, sugarcube?"

"Huh?" Rainbow stopped, gazing about in a silly stupor. At long last, she realized she was still holding the undelivered package. With an inward groan, she placed the box down and chuckled. "Eheheheh... I guess you kinda/sorta did sign for this, didn't ya?"

Applejack smiled. "No sense in gettin' you fired on your first week back to doing the age-old rounds, eh?"

"Nope. Thanks, AJ."

"Heh, don't mention it."

"Must be a whole lot easier... y'know..." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Working for yourself all the time."

Applejack opened her muzzle to reply... but nothing came out. The weight of the hat—or more appropriately the treasure hidden inside the hat—was threatening to shatter her spine now. And yet, in spite of that, she kept looking for excuses to make Rainbow stay longer. She hated herself for it. However, thankfully, she couldn't come up with a legitimate thing to say. After all—at that point—it simply wouldn't be honest.

And if Applejack was anything...

"You are..." Rainbow broke the silence, leaning forward. "...doing okay for yourself, aren't you?"

Applejack didn't even bother to think that Rainbow Dash may have been inferring that from her silence. She instantly remembered all of the emotional, melancholic confessions concerning the farm that she had given on the weekend of the Gala. She sighed with a hopeful smile aimed in Rainbow's direction... or at least a smile that she deemed "hopeful."

"We've had better apple buck seasons, Rainbow, to be perfectly honest," she said. "But don't you fret none. Me and Macky and Granny are gonna pull on through."

Rainbow blew out the side of her muzzle. "Hey! Wh-who's worried? After all, you're used to pulling yourself back up by your horseshoe-straps, right?"

"And, odds are, these are just that," Applejack said, tapping the box.

"What, silly analogies?"

"Horseshoes," Applejack said. "Big Mac's been needing some for the longest time. With a bunch of new ones, he can pull his weight at least twice as fast. Reckon that'll give us the edge that we need. Well, him, anyway."

"But... but I thought..." Rainbow blinked. "Er, I mean, with what we talked about back at Canterlot... about your financial situation and all..."

"Yeah...?"

"I mean, can you really afford to invest in the new shoes?"

Applejack looked aside. "Well..."

"And if so much rides on Big Mac, then why'd you let him run off to Fluttershy's place for the medicine? I'm making good time today. I could zip on over to her cottage and make the delivery myself, y'know!" She smiled. "Totally free of charge—"

Rainbow's loyal suggestions were refreshing. But—in some selfish way—Applejack perceived them painfully. After all, that loyalty wasn't exclusive... or at least not as exclusive as the farm mare was silly enough to think at one point...

"Quite frankly, right at this moment..." Applejack looked plainly at Rainbow. "Big Macintosh could use all the fellowship and enjoyment he can afford." A gulp. "Matter of fact, we all could."

Rainbow looked visibly worried. It reminded Applejack of how Rarity or Fluttershy might likewise react to bad news, and that was a sobering thing. "AJ...? How... just how bad is—"

"You'd best be zippin' along to yer next delivery, Rainbow." Applejack interjected. To keep from coming across as rude, she trotted over and rested a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. She did her best to ignore how close the mare's silk-soft prismatic bangs were to her fetlock. "If it's all the same to you, I'd..." The mother of all winces, but Applejack hid it. Like a mother. "...I'd rather not repeat too much of the conversation we had on the weekend of the Gala. It was a very good gab, and I'm glad you were there for me to lean on, but... well... You remember how much of a blubbering mess I was, don'tcha?"

"Why... yeah!" Rainbow's voice cracked in spite of the subject matter. "Totally! Of... course I do..."

"Life's simple, Rainbow." Applejack leaned back. "I'm strong when I'm at my strongest." She chuckled at that, hoping it wasn't half as stupid to hear as it was to say. "Now git!" She pointed enthusiastically towards the windows. "I've got me some apples to buck, and thank you mighty kindly for deliverin' Big Macintosh's horseshoes all good and proper."

"Hey... uhm..." Rainbow eventually made a fluttering exit. "Don't mention it..."

"I'll be sure to catch you and the girls soon. Just... no time for Sugarcube Corner sessions." Applejack trotted the opposite way, leaving out the kitchen door. "Not this week..."

Rainbow didn't respond. Half-a-minute later, Applejack heard the tell-tail flap of wings. She glanced back in time to see a spectral streak splitting the sky—rocketing towards Ponyville.

In more ways than Applejack could count, the colors of her life were leaving faster and faster. Faster than she could even recognize them.

She swallowed the fear down—along with the lump in her throat—and returned to the orchards before the ennui could set in.

Care Package

After a full afternoon of apple bucking...

Applejack trudged in through the front door to her farmhouse. She paused to catch her breath in the shade, wiping her sweaty brow with a bandanna. For a moment, she lingered before the living room windows, staring out into the green expanse of the land between bordering orchards. The last flash of verdant color waned as the sun gradually set beyond the nearby horizon.

A soft sigh...

...and Applejack proceeded into the kitchen.

She made for the refrigerator, already drumming up ideas for dinner in her head. That's when she noticed that the brown parcel that Rainbow had delivered was still resting—unopened—atop the counter. The mare couldn't help but scowl.

"Guh... Big Mac... honestly..." Ears curled back with a flash of anger. "Just how long are ya gonna fritter around Fluttershy's place today?"

Silence.

The mare groaned, face-hoofing.

"Be nice, Applejack," she muttered. "He does more labor than you ever could. Real gruntwork too."

She grabbed a kitchen knife in her muzzle and used it to slice the packaging open.

"Mrmmmffff..." Spitting the utensil out, she opened the rest of the container with her hooves. "Even still. Would be mighty appropriate if he was here to try on his... horseshoes..." The mare blinked.

Inside the box was a gift basket wrapped in a plastic bag. Applejack saw bars of soap, edible flowers, jars of zap-apple jam, and several colorful coupons.

"Uhhhhhhh..." Her brow furrowed. Freckles scrunched. "...what in tarnation?"

With steady forelimbs, she pulled the basket out and tore the bag off. There was a gold-embossed notecard in the center of the arrangement. Cursive hoofwriting stood out black against the eggshell white surface of the pamphlet. Applejack squinted, reading the words on the card.

"... ... ..." Her ears drooped savagely. There was a whimpering lilt to her voice. "Oh sweet Celestia..."

The mare's blood ran cold. She trotted backwards before stopping against the wall, stunned. Her heart pounded as her muzzle hung open. Applejack could only stare across the empty kitchen in absolute silence.

Wane

An hour later...

Dinner still wasn't made.

The gift basket lay on the counter in the same spot where it had been last touched.

Applejack sat on a stool, staring out the screened window of the kitchen door. Glossy eyes trailed the shadowed outline of orchards and orchards stretching towards the lush horizon.

Her shoulders rose and fell with contemplative breaths.

At some point, there was the pitter patter of tiny hooves. The front door opened, then slapped shut—followed by a dragging book bag and a filly's voice.

"Hey, y'all! I'm home!" Apple Bloom shuffled through the house. "Sorry for not givin' word sooner! Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are havin' a sleepover at Sweetie's place and I got caught up in helpin' them knit this really sweet hammock. Not sure I can get my special talent in hammock makin' but—boy oh boy—a filly can dream, can't she?!"

Silence.

"Granny? Big Mac?"

Slowly, Apple Bloom shuffled into the kitchen.

She came to a stop, blinking. "AJ?"

More silence.

"AJ... is... is everythang okay?"

Slowly, Applejack turned her deadpan face to look at her younger sister. She produced a soft smile. "Dun mind me, Apple Bloom." She glanced once more out the screened door. "Been workin' a long day at the field. Reckon..." She gulped. "...reckon I could use a sabbatical." Her ears drooped. "We all could."

Apple Bloom shifted where she stood. "O... K..." The little pony cleared her throat. "I get it! You had a long day! Y'know... the sun's still out!" She grinned wide. "Want me to gallop into town real quick and order us some Chineigh's?"

"No, Apple Bloom, ain't yer place to..." Applejack stopped in mid-sentence. Her muzzle scrunched. "...didn't ya just say that Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were havin' themselves a sleepover?"

"Yeah..." Apple Bloom sighed. "But... y'know... I figured that I'd already be in enough hot water not tellin' y'all that I was comin' home late from school. So... didn't want to miss dinner on top of that. But, if yer too tired to cook somethin'... uhhhh..."

Before she could finish, Applejack spoke: "Yer a real considerate lil' filly, Apple Bloom." A warm breath. "I know you never got to know Ma and Pa that much, but they'd be mighty proud of ya. You've got an honest soul."

Apple Bloom blinked. "Wow. Uhm..." A nervous smile. "Jee, thanks. That's really... uhm..."

"I've got an idea, sugarcube." Applejack stood up slowly and trotted in the filly's direction. "Sounds like you and the other two gals have got somethin' goin' with this sleeping bag business of yers—"

"Hammock," Apple Bloom corrected. "And it's only cuz Scootaloo thought it up... just like she thinks everythang up." Her cheeks pouted slightly. "I swear, that filly will make any excuse she can to get off the ground..."

"Still... would be a real shame to miss out on gettin' a cutie mark on the same night as yer friends." Applejack caressed the mare's bow, smiling. "Ya think Sweetie Belle's family can spare another muzzle to feed?"

"Well, sure! I mean, they asked me, but—"

"How 'bout takin' them up on their offer tonight?"

Apple Bloom gasped. "You mean I get to sleep over with Scoots and Sweetie?"

"Sure! I mean, why the hay not?" Applejack tapped the mare's nose. "Heheh... let's just say you've earned it tonight."

"Yeeeehaaa!" Apple Bloom hopped up and down in place. "Oh, AJ! AJ! Thank you! I promise I'll have all my homework done by Sunday! Just you wait!"

"Reckon I won't have to. Now git!"

"Woohoo!" Apple Bloom waddled away at a breakneck speed. "Cutie Mark Crusader Sleepover, here we come!"

"Dun forget to pack yer toothbrush!" Applejack called out through the house. As she heard Apple Bloom's hoofsteps bounding up the stairs, she exhaled with a shudder and murmured to the stale air of the kitchen. "I love ya..."

Silence.

Applejack returned to her stool. With a sniffle, she resumed staring out at the orchards. She continued doing so, even as she heard the front door slamming behind Apple Bloom... and the gentle cascade of night drawing over the farm like a shroud.

Anchored

"There there, darlin'," Granny Smith said. Standing up, she trotted gently across the living room and rested a hoof on Applejack's quivering shoulder. "No reason for yer fussin'. This here's a strong family. We've fought our way through worse straits, and we'll certainly make it through whatever life's tossin' at us now."

"Granny, ya d-don't get it." Applejack spun around, and her eyes were brimming with tears. Night had fallen over the land of Sweet Apple Acres, and a smattering of candles christened this fractured moment as the farm mare trembled and paced about. "I th-thought they were new horseshoes for Big Mac! But it ain't! It was a c-care package from Filthy Rich. It was some unnecessarily f-fancy way of maskin' over wh-what he really wanted to t-tell us!"

"We both know about Filthy Rich, Applejack," Granny Smith said calmly. The melancholy was evident in her eyes, but so was the somber acceptance. "We saw this comin' from miles away..."

"But it sure don't make it r-right!" Applejack barked. She wheezed at the end of that, struggling for breath. She couldn't remember the last time she had gotten this emotional. Speaking to Rainbow Dash on the weekend of the Gala had gotten close, but this was different. This was deep in her dimly-lit home, with her own beloved kin. It was the closest the mare got to feeling like she was inside herself. She let the tears flow. "What business does he have g-givin' up on us like this?! He's had an agreement with the family for d-decades!"

"I'm 'fraid it has everythang to do with business, darlin'," Granny said. "That's just how Mr. Rich thinks. It's just like how his dad fancied doin' things too. Their family joined us for business, and now—I reckon—with things goin' as poorly with the crops n'all, it's a right smart decision for their business to leave us all the same."

"But what are we gonna do, Granny?!" Applejack whimpered, continuing to pace about. "Workin' with the Riches is all I've evern known s-since I was a filly! Maybe I can s-save our crops from dyin' or keep this farm afloat—but finding a new business partner?! I c-can't juggle all of that! It's t-takin' every darn breath I have to give to keep our apples growin!"

"Shhhhh..." Granny Smith reached out for her again. "It's alright, darlin'..."

"No, Granny!" Applejack stomped her hoof. It was all she could afford to do aside from throwing her grandmother clear off her. "It's not alright! We c-can't lose this here farm! It's who I am! It's who we are! Granny, h-how are we g-gonna survive if everythang goes under?!"

"We will, Applejack..." Granny Smith stroked her mane, smiling a wrinkled smile. Her eyes twinkled with otherworldly contentment. "We will. You know why? Because we're stronger than anythang. We're stronger than the Riches, we're stronger than Ponyville, and we're even stronger than Sweet Apple Acres. We don't need this here farm to be a swell, rootin' tootin' bunch of dependable apples! Equestria needs us, and Equestria's gonna have us—and all of our sisters and cousins—no matter what, ya hear?"

"I... I just can't imagine..." Applejack's breath grew breathier and breathier. She glanced out the window, towards the hill, and she imagined two stones slicing shadows against the starlight. Between each blink, they receded, and the tears filled the void leftover. "All my life, I've wanted to make th-this land prosper. And now... t-to give it all up? It's... it's l-like giving myself up! I hate it, Granny! I hate it somethin' awful!"

"Oh, Applejack." Granny reached in and held Applejack entirely. The young mare leaned against her, shuddering. Meanwhile, Granny lovingly stroked her mane and neck. "Reckon it's all my fault. I'm old enough to have seen where the local economy was goin'. I shoulda prepared ya, honey. I shoulda encouraged you to branch out, perhaps taken more than one trip to the Oranges in the big city. Maybe then this wouldn't have been such a plum shocker to ya..."

"It's not what I want, Granny..." Applejack sobbed. "It's like I'm losin' everythang I hold dear. I... I don't know what to do." She curled up against her, bawling. "Nnnngh... feel... f-feel so weak... so lost..."

"That's fine. That's alright, darlin'. Let it out. We can deal with tomorrow when it comes. As for now, don't be feelin' afraid or nothin'. Just let it out..."

Applejack clenched her eyes shut. In the darkness before her, she saw so many things slipping away. Only one thing remained in place. A shade of blue, soft and fragile and so easy to lose. But even that was starting to dwindled under the enormous pressure of everything collapsing around her.

She felt foolish. She felt guilty.

She felt.

There was no more reasoning it out; simply a release. And as much as Applejack felt she was letting go that night...

...she knew the only thing she couldn't release was herself.

Sturdiness

It was tears that woke her up.

Applejack's eyelids fluttered open, heavy with moisture... aching even more so.

The fire of the hearth had died down to a gentle crackle. The mare was seated on the family couch in the living room. Not too far away—within range of a gentle hoofstroke—Granny Smith sat in her rocker. The elder was sound asleep, and her breath carried with it fresh memories of a tender evening full of consoling words.

Applejack was numb to it all. She sat up slowly... torturously.

She gazed over at her grandmother... then at the glossy portraits of old family members, obscured in the penumbra of lingering night.

A heavy breath left Applejack's muzzle. Wincing, she stretched her weary limbs and stood up—wobbling—on the floor in the middle of the room. She lingered there for a prolonged period of time. Then, with practiced grace, she drew an afghan over Granny Smith's figure... and reached in to nuzzle the old mare's wrinkled complexion. Granny murmured something in her sleep, but continued resting still.

With heavy hoofsteps, Applejack left the room... and the scant remaining traces of warmth left therein.

Applejack stood at the bottom of the household's stairs. She looked up, watching as an endless array of black-and-white faces bordered the ascent into darkness. Somewhere—hidden high above—there was a vanity possessing the only sliver of bright color in that entire house.

The insides of the farm mare twisted at the mere thought of it. The saliva in her mouth turned bitter.

So... with a cold shudder... she turned and looked towards the source of a softly blowing gust of nightly wind.

Applejack's eyes caught an open window in the front room. In the dim starlight, she could make out the soft slope of a hill...

Gusts of wind blew at Applejack's blonde bangs as she slowly ascended the springy hillside. Tree branches rustled overhead. A timberwolf howled in the distance, but was silent yet again.

At last, Applejack came to a stop. She saw shadows upon shadows, but in the center of the malaise she spotted two horizontal crescents of reflected starlight.

The tombstones were waiting for her. They never moved; they never fell.

Applejack drew her faithfulness and strength from the sturdiest of places.

At that moment, however, she fell to her knees... squatting before the stones. She hung her head, fighting the same tears that woke her... that brought her there.

"I..."

She gnashed her teeth.

"I'm sorry..."

She looked up, her shadowed vision already growing misty.

"I can only blame myself. I should have looked into thangs harder. Should have... kept my eyes peeled. Not taken chances. Not..."

She gulped.

"... ... ...not allowed myself to get distracted."

She clenched her jaw tight.

"So long as thangs are lookin' grim... I promise... I won't lose my way ever again. I'm gonna fight to keep this farm. Ain't nothin' else worth fightin' for. Nothin'."

Silence.

With scuffling limbs, she shimmied forward until she rested a hoof on both tombstones. She bowed her head.

"I'm gonna save this... save everythang. You can depend on me." A slight whimper. "You've struggled too hard... we've struggled too hard to fall behind now. But don't you worry..."

She stood up.

She breathed.

The tears vanished and—

"I've got my priorities straight now."

Rarijackery

Evening fell.

Applejack went to sleep.

Morning rose.

Applejack went into the fields.

The days rolled past and the baskets of harvested apples piled higher.

The farm mare measured time by the glint of the passing sun in her sweat.

When she wasn't kicking trees, her head was glued to the earth.

She trotted evenly—with purpose—slow and persistent and deliberate.

The only passion she exerted was through the bucking motions required to lop more and more fruit from their trees.

She barely saw Apple Bloom.

She only saw Granny Smith in the occasional sideways glance through the hallway or along the house's front porch.

Big Mac was working on other projects on the far end of the farm, so he was a veritable stranger.

Then, of course, there were the stones atop the hill.

They provided more shade than clouds—soothed Applejack more than the fabric of night—urged her further and harder into the legwork than any sip of water or morsel of breakfast.

Applejack kept them constantly in her peripheral vision when she worked, or else envisioned them along the fabric of her blinking eyes.

They were a great deal harder, tougher, and colder than any feathers.

But they were familiar, which—for the moment—was the most important thing at all.

Applejack couldn't afford anything else—not any longer.

Applejack wrapped herself in their shadow like a blanket and glided along with her work.

She didn't have a respite from it all until her regularly scheduled trek to the Ponyville market.

...and she trudged to and from town with her head hanging low.

Propelled by anxious, the mare shuffled towards the market, drawing a wagon full of apples. She didn't realize how absorbed she was into the soil of Ponyville town square until she heard a dainty voice warbling towards her.

"Applejack! Oh Aaaaaapplejack!"

Applejack was many things—but she was never rude. Or, at least, she never aimed to be. The mare tilted her head up and looked towards the figure rushing towards her. Two green eyes reflected a delicate white speck.

"Oh..." Her smile was as real as the passing breeze. She hoped it would be enough. "...howdy, Rarity."

"Hello yourself, darling!" Rarity ran the full epic length of twenty feet. Nevertheless, the fashionista stood noticeably breathless, fanning herself as she shouldered the weight of two saddlebags bulging with dress fabric. "It's so blessedly charming to see you! Just where have you been?"

"Uh... been...?" Applejack's voice was hoarse. She realized that—for the course of a full week—she hadn't said more than three sentences to anypony, even her family.

One week?

Had it actually been an entire week?

Land's sakes...

"Oh... uhm..." The simple, honest truth: "Workin'."

"Yes, I can see that." Rarity nodded, still catching her powdery girl breath. "But what—pray tell—has gotten you so blastedly occupied?"

"Well... uh..." Applejack's gut was curling inward. "...Rarity, y'know when..." Her eyes drifted to the dress materials lingering in Rarity's saddle pockets. "...you've got a real whizz-bang of a project to work on for a prospective client."

"Oh, by all means!"

"Well..." Applejack tilted her hat back... deliciously hollow and devoid of feathers. "...reckon you could say this is somethin' similar. I've got me a whole heapin' load of apples to get harvested and sold, and ain't much time for doin' anythang else. I'm awfully sorry..."

"No need to be sorry, Applejack! Just..." Rarity nevertheless pouted. "I was awfully worried for a moment there. You weren't at the library... you weren't at any of our regular tea sessions at Sugarcube Corner..."

"Yeah, well..." Applejack avoided her gaze, rubbing one leg with the other.

"I can't help but feel like... like so many of my friends are getting busy with other things lately," Rarity said. "I mean—I myself, of course—I've got lots of things to work on. But I still find the time to socialize every now and then. Only because I miss you girls soooooo much!" She leaned in to nuzzle Applejack. "First Rainbow Dash... and now you!"

"Errrr..." Applejack leaned back slightly. "Say what? Rainbow?"

"Oh! Haven't you noticed? She's got a new occupation! That poor mare is juggling two jobs now!"

"Oh... uhm..." Applejack blinked. She gazed up at the sky, but it only had one color. "Huh. Guess I-I've been too busy to notice."

"Isn't that so unfortunate? I mean... heehee..." Rarity giggle daintily into her fetlock. "Good on the two of you for raking in the bits, of course."

"Eheh..." Applejack nervously smiled. "Of c-course..."

"But it hurts ever so much to be deprived of your wonderful presence." Rarity leaned back on her haunches, clasping to hooves together. "Oh do promise that you'll come to one of our Sugarcube Corner sessions again sometime! Please! It's just so... unfamiliar a shade to have in your absence."

Applejack blinked. "Unfamiliar...?"

"Mmmmm... quite."

Applejack shuddered slightly. Nevertheless, she stood tall within the rigging of her apple art. "I'll see what I can do, Rarity. I'm a mite bit busy, but I'm sure I can make the time to sit and gab like old times."

"But they're not 'old times'... that's the point..."

"Right..."

"That's what scares me. I mean... I enjoy Pinkie Pie's spontaneity and Twilight's Sparkle's regular habits... but just the two of them aren't exactly conducive to sane uniformity. Not on their own at least."

"What about Fluttershy?"

"Funny you should ask..." Rarity nervously brushed her mane back. "She's... been showing up to tea sessions less and less frequently too. I wonder why that might be."

"Uhhhhhh..." Applejack kicked against the earth and broke into a firm trot. "See ya later, Rarity! I'll aim to make a snack session sometime this week! I promise!"

"Oh! Splendid, Applejack, darling!" Rarity waved back, grinning with genuine joy. "Byyyye!"

Applejack sped towards the marketplace.

The Colors You're Allowed

Applejack didn't sell a single apple for two hours. And—despite her undeniably frightening financial situation—she wasn't in the position to notice.

She sat—slumped—against the vendor stand of her little portion of the marketplace. Her eyes traced circles in the dirt, and when the thoughts rolling in her head grew bumpier, she drew her hat forward to mask the ache.

Strangers...

She didn't want her friends to become strangers...

...and yet... with the sudden harvest she was having to push into full gear.

"Mrmmmmngh..." Applejack grumbled into her hooves. "...dag nabbit."

Meeting Twilight Sparkle and saving Equestria from Eternal Night was such a turning point in her life... a breath of fresh air that saved her from...

...familiarity.

Applejack looked up. Instead of dull gray tombstones, she saw the golden-thatched rooftops of Ponyville... and the playfully rotating windmill off in the distance.

How certain had Applejack been in the past that nonstop focus on farmwork was the only way to salvage the situation at hoof?

And how quickly had that stubborn resolve crumbled when friendship and companionship came into her life?

Applejack's eyes glanced up.

A blue sky lingered overhead. Bright... daring... warm.

She instantly felt a lump forming in her throat. Rarity's words echoed in her sweat-saturated head, and she had to stare back down into the earth to keep from tipping over with the weight of it.

She sold a few apples—but ultimately lost count. She trotted slowly back home that evening, and although her apple cart was half-empty, it felt like it weighed ten times as much as when she first arrived.

Night was falling.

Applejack limped into her bedroom, still damp from a thorough, soaking bath.

She had laid in that rinse a bit longer than normal—probably to avoid this moment. This awkward moment of standing in the center of the room, staring vacantly at the vanity beneath the mirror that reflected a lonesome young mare.

The handle of a drawer glinted with a stray band of starlight.

Applejack bit her lip. She marched straight for bed. Turning towards the window, she could almost make out the distant stones atop the hill.

It was too cold a sight to stare at suddenly.

So... Applejack surrendered to the darkness... a shadowy softness.

Her eyes shut...

...and she was in a lonesome alleyway.

Beneath a sliver of stars.

And she cradled the mare to her chest.

And she nuzzled her.

And she waited for time to rewind itself... to limp back to that precious, whimpering moment.

Those six words, locked in place, pouring out over and over again.

Covering Applejack from head to hoof.

So that she submerged in that sweet, feathery honey...

...and drifted forever. Warm and unafraid.

When Applejack awoke, it was a lifetime later—the next morning.

She sat up sharply—bright and awake. On a savage impulse, she hopped out of bet, walked the plank of sunlight through the window, and yanked the drawer open.

It took a half-second of fumbling, but she opened the velvet case and unlocked its contents. Within seconds, she was nuzzling the very real feather to her very real cheek...

...and fighting with very real tears.

A shudder.

A shake.

And she turned to look out the window.

In the peeking sunrise, the two stones reflected sharply. Like torches. Shooting stars locked in place.

"I'd nuzzle you t-too if y'all were here."

A stifled whimper.

"It's just... a feelin'. The next best thang. I promise..."

One tear escaped. It ran down the first genuine smile in days.

"...it will only make me work harder. I ain't gonna fail ya. Not one bit."

And with a positively healthy breath, Applejack tucked the thing back into its hiding spot... and wore the hat back into fields.

Where she got lots and lots of work done.

Show, Don't Apple

The days flew by in a sweaty blur.

Applejack scarcely noticed. She was working as hard as before—perhaps even harder. What made the time fly was a new regimen... a fuzzy regimen. Even in her most strenuous of moments—kicking trees, lugging baskets around, pulling wagons—Applejack felt a tiny, feathery massage to her scalpe... a constant kiss that carried her along.

At night... far away from the sunlight and the heat and the brightness of the agonizing harvest... she was soothed by it. The softest of things. A blue feather belonging to nopony but her.

Even when Applejack stared at it and cradled it until sleep overtook her senses, she forgot who it belonged to. Perhaps purposefully. This was because it no longer mattered. The source wasn't important; simply the meaning. The sensation... and its ever lasting effect.

Once upon a time—perhaps—there was a blonde mare and a prismatic pegasus who had an awkward, drunken, and ultimately clumsy moment in some backend alleyway atop the roof of the world. It wasn't important then and it wasn't important now. Applejack reasoned that she wasn't lying to herself over the matter. After all, it was more than evident that Rainbow Dash didn't harbor any legitimate feelings. Applejack had just caught the mare during a completely innocent, completely vulnerable, completely delicate moment.

Applejack had long thought she had no need for delicate things. It would seem she was wrong, only now she was acknowledging a new reality. She needed such precious things in her life—if only to make herself feel needed... to feel treasured.

She didn't need to treasure another pony to experience that elevating sensation. She just needed something to make the thought—the inspiration concrete.

That feather was such an ark. It preserved and carried emotions that Applejack didn't know she had. It was happy, but also bittersweet. But in a life built out of grit and sweat and apple stems, Applejack knew very little—outside of family—that could invigorate her so heavily.

And she was so very used to family.

This feather... this foreign element felt so strange, so unusual, so dependent on happenstance... and now dependent on her. And—in a lot of ways—Applejack had to admit she was dependent on it all the same. On the feeling. On the dream-soft fantasy of being adored.

And to adore back...

Applejack wasn't a psychiatrist, but even the simple-minded laborer inside her knew that she probably needed to see someone about all these things racing through her mind. But none of that was important right now.

Saving the farm was.

And if a measely little feather could quicken her pace in the field... make it easier for her to put on a smile at the dinner table... ... ...make it somehow feel okay to lose moisture from her eyes as she tried to sleep at night...

...then it would all be worth it.

Sooner than later, the work... the concentration... the obsession would all be worth it.

To think about it would only make the entire matter implode.

So Applejack concentrated on her harvest... just as she was doing right now... pivoting and kicking trees... praising the powers that be that nothing could possibly distract or interrupt or annoy her at this current juncture—

"HeyAJhow'sithoofing—Ohcrap!" A cracking voice collapsed right behind her, followed by a petite winged body crashing into a pair of stubby trees. Thud!

Applejack blinked hard, waking up to the moment. It was midday. The sun was out. She was covered with sweat...

...and she had her hat off... pausing to admire the feathery treasure lying within.

Six phantom words echoed bloodily between her ears.

"Snkkkt!" Sucking her breath in through her teeth, Applejack immediately slapped the hat back on and recoiled at the collapsed scamp beside her. "Rainbow?! What in tarnation...?!"

A goofy cluster of blue horse noodles struggled to disentangle herself from apple tree branches looming above. It wasn't until a few seconds into the absurd spectacle that Applejack realized Rainbow was attempting to spout something out.

"Uhhhhh..." Hot, winded, and stained all over with sweat, Applejack was hardly in the mood for her loyal friend's goofiness. Just a friend. Friend. "Come again, sugarcube?"

Buckin' Gals

Rainbow Dash stood on springy grass, shaking her head—seemingly to toss the cobwebs loose. " Ummfnngh," she ummfnngh'd, then smiled beneath a frazzled mane. "Hey there, Applejack."

"Hey yerself," Applejack droned. Rainbow Dash was the last pony she wanted to see right now, honestly and truthfully. She had made up her mind about that, and now here the scratchy-throated jerk was, ruining her resolve. "Now what's all this dive bombin' business about? I'm rather busy at the moment."

"I, uhhh..." Rainbow Dash stood in place, fidgeting. Awkward. Cute. "Uhmmmmm..." Her sky-blue nose scrunched and unscrunched. Damnably. "Ahem." She twirled into action, pacing about along the orchards. "So, I was doing my usual rounds today, delivering junk to ponies all across Ponyville and beyond..."

"Oh, right..." Applejack exhaled with slight relief, acknowledging what Rarity had told her. "Yer new job! How's that holdin' up, exactly?"

Rainbow continued: "And I was starting to break a sweat. So I thought to myself 'Jee, Rainbow! If only you had a way to parch your thirst in the middle of all this hot afternoon air-gliding n'jazz!' And then it occurred to me. 'Duh! You have a best friend who grows the most delicious apples in all of Equestria! Why not ask her for a few to spare, and then you can make yourself an awesome baked snack to munch on in the middle of doing your rounds!'"

Applejack's brow furrowed.

Was Rainbow drunk again?

Did she think Applejack had all the time in the world? Dang, varmint-headed scamp...

"Uhm... right." Applejack cleared her throat and spoke as eloquently as she could. "Apple snacks, huh?"

"Oh, y'know..." Rainbow shrugged. "I figured I'd make a fritter... or a pie... or a fritter."

Applejack's patience was already thin enough as it was. "Darlin', do you even know how to bake? I mean, unless you've been hangin' out with Pinkie Pie a lot lately..."

Rainbow was suddenly speechless. She fumbled for words as if the afternoon would last forever.

Applejack knew better... more than Rainbow Dash could ever—in this life or the next. Sighing, she turned to face the meager progress of her labors that day. "Reckon it doesn't really matter none. I'm awfully sorry, Rainbow Dash."

"Huh? What for?"

"But I'm afraid I can't lend any apples at the moment." A lump formed in Applejack's throat as she approached the wagon full of apples. "Even to a good friend."

"What—really? Not even a barrel?"

Applejack actually snarled. "A barrel?!"

Rainbow leaned back, smiling sheepishly. Like a foal with her hoof caught in the cookie jar. "Eh heh heh heh! Kidding! I'm j-just kidding! But... in all seriousness, your hooves are tied."

"I... I apologize, darlin'," Applejack said, fighting the urge to sigh. "Normally, I'd totally let any pony take a hearty sample of my family's finest fruit."

"Yeah... Uh... wh-what gives?"

Applejack blinked. She thought of lonesome night, clinging to flimsy softness. Of Granny Smith holding her while she sobbed. Apple Bloom's and Big Macintosh's faces drifting further across the kitchen, one silent breakfast after another.

"It'd take too much time to explain," she ultimately muttered. "Just believe me when I tell you that I'm unable to spare any fruit at the moment. It breaks my heart, but that's the way it's gotta be."

"What..." Rainbow leaned forward with a smile. "Wh-what if I pay for them?!" She reached into her saddlebag for some bits. "Mrmmmmfff—I just g-got paid this week too—"

"Rainbow..."

"How much for a dozen apples? I'll give you an extra few coins for delivery and labor! Not that tossing them ten feet at me counts as 'delivery,' but hey, you look tired as heck!"

Rainbow tried a more forceful tone: "Rainbow, I'm sorry! I just can't, sugarcube." Her voice softened a bit. Defeatedly. "I need every single one of these here apples for... for... well... for a special harvest the family and me are doin', ya hear? Maybe in a few weeks, I can spare some, but now...?"

Rainbow stared at her. "Does this have anything to do with Filthy—?"

Applejack's heart jolted. She snapped a startled look towards the petite pegasus.

"—irrigation?!" Rainbow grinned wide. "Cuz, y'know... pegasus pony!" She struck a proud pose. "I'll go round up some crystal clean water from the nearest lake and get these orchards soaked up in a jiff!"

For the moment, Applejack couldn't help but smile. Loyal to the end.

The grin didn't last long. Applejack woke up to the moment with a prolonged exhale. "It ain't as simple as that, sugarcube."

"But—"

"Please, I respect yer loyalty and all, Rainbow. But I've got this. Really, I do." She brushed past the mare. "I'll make it up to you somehow, ya hear? It may not be soon, but I will. I promise." She bucked the nearest tree. "Mmmf! I'll... I dunno... throw you and the rest of the gals a special apple feast. We'll all..." She winced slightly, but went after the fallen fruit. "We'll all eat like queens..."

The air was silent... until Rainbow broke it with a delicate, mewling voice: "You sure that you can't spare any?"

"All I can afford to give at the moment is my attention, Rainbow. But, sorry to say, even that is a might bit stretched out at the moment." She summoned the strength to smile—as a friend. "How about you drop on by sometime in the mornin' tomorrow, right before I set to work, and we can give it the gab, ya hear? For old time's sake..." She bucked more trees, grunting. "Nnngh! I may have a strict harvest to deal with, but Celestia forbid the day I can't afford to share some time with a dear friend."

"Uhm... sure..." Rainbow Dash's voice faded as she drifted away. "I'll... uh... I'll mull it over."

"You do that, sugarcube." Applejack was alone once again with the trees. Just like she wanted. The first of many labored breaths issued from her lungs, coalescing in the lonesome air.

It was a remarkably short time later that the sound of flapping wings returned. Panting, sweating, Applejack threw a glance over her shoulder. She saw Rainbow Dash kicking her legs awkwardly against the trunk of an unplucked tree further along the orchard.

"Huh? Rainbow...?"

"Haaugh!" Rainbow ignored her, choosing instead to kick and pummel more trees with her undeniably smaller limbs.

"Rainbow?!" Applejack stumbled upon the precipice of growling. "What in the hay's gotten into you?!"

"Guhh!" Rainbow kicked again, not even breaking a sweat "Just where is Big Mac, huh?"

Applejack blinked at the question. "Over in the west fields. Why?"

"And lemme guess, you're gonna work your way clockwise from the east fields to the south and then join Big Mac in the west?"

"Assumin' he drags behind, sure, but—"

"Y'know, you would do things clockwise, AJ." Rainbow Dash smirked, kicked a tree, and smirked again. "Predictable to the end. Heh."

"Rainbow, what in Equestria are ya doin'?"

"What does it look like?" Rainbow Dash flew over Applejack, grabbed an empty basket from the wagon, and placed it beneath a line of unbucked trees. "You wanna get a good harvest done, right? No sense in beating around the bush about it!"

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Meanin'...?"

"Look, I'm a delivery pony and a speedster! Even before you, me, and the gals started hangin' out, I knew how important it was to be quick about stuff! The faster you get this harvest done, the sooner you can sell your stuff to whoever, right? And I do mean whoever."

Applejack shrugged. "Well, sure, but—"

"Then let's get to it, gurl!" With a wicked grin, she kicked another tree—"Hah!"—and smiled in victory as more fruit fell adorably behind her. "Showed that one who's boss!"

"Rainbow Dash, this ain't yer line of work!" Applejack exclaimed. "And besides! You've got enough on yer plate—what with the cloud buckin' and the deliverin' and—"

"Pffft! You think I'm offering to do this for free?" Rainbow Dash bore a devilish smirk. "Imagine if you and I combined to get this crap done ahead of schedule? Ehhh? Ehhh?"

Applejack stared at her. She thought of throwing some stern words. She imagined getting into her "big sister voice," like she had to do every so often with Apple Bloom. But something caressed her... silk-soft and delicate, precious. It brought a tingle to her scalp, then sent shivers down her spine... until at last she was smiling. If only slightly.

"Yer really darn persistent..." She adjusted the brim of her hat. Who knows who or what she was talking to anymore. "...ya know that?"

"I learned it from the best."

"Hah! You did not!"

"Wanna prove it?" Rainbow Dash pointed at the sky. "Race ya to sundown! Whoever bucks the most apples down between now and then gets to have the last laugh! And if it's me—"

"I won't be able to spare many, Rainbow," Applejack said, muttering. "Even if we clear out the entire east field by then."

"Well, we sure as feathers aren't gonna get much done by standing here arguing about it, now will we?"

"But—"

Rainbow simply smiled.

At last, Applejack blurted: "Yer impossible." She shuffled over to the wagon, preparing to sweat again. "Better not be faintin' on me! I'll make Granny resuscitate ya!"

"My muzzle's been been in worse places."

Applejack struggled hard not to laugh at that. She had already given her friend more than one smile... she wasn't in the mood to give Rainbow even more satisfaction.

She wasn't...

Orchards, Straight and Narrow

The mutual harvesting of fruit went about as well as Applejack expected. She trotted slowly from orchard to orchard, concentrating on one tree at a time. She took even breaths, filled subsequent baskets completely, paced herself.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, was all over the place. There wasn't a moment when a streak of color wasn't zipping overhead, blowing at Applejack's mane and nearly tossing her hat off. She stopped multiple times to clutch the article in place—feeling the desperate flutter of the fibrous thing within.

A spark of frustration rose up deep within Applejack's system. Only one thing in their midst was precious, and despite being the sole owner of it Rainbow Dash was threatening to ruin everything. It wasn't that Applejack wasn't grateful—but rather she preferred to be in control of the situation, and being in control for Applejack typically meant being alone.

So, in one way or another, she felt right at home with her annoyance. The mare secretly prayed that Rainbow Dash would get bored. Any moment now, impatience would win over altruism, and the pegasus would be excusing herself to go... huff some clouds, or whatever.

Of course, perhaps it would help if Applejack urged Rainbow into being quicker about it.

"Better get a move on, Rainbow Dash!" she exclaimed, filling a basket and sweating. "If you wanna be any help, we gotta clear the next four rows by the end of this hour!"

"Haaah!" Rainbow's voice echoed against the sound of slamming bark. "You mean the next four rows I already friggin' did?"

There was no way that varmint could even be remotely serious.

Applejack turned to look—then did a double-take as she saw multiple baskets lying beneath trees, filled to the brim with baskets. "Say wh-what?!" Her pupils shrunk. "Well, I'll be." She squinted suspiciously at Rainbow Dash. "How in tarnation did you get all them apple trees empty? Are ya cheatin'?"

"Hnngh!" Rainbow Dash kicked a tree beside her, seemingly not breaking a sweat. "Is that even possible?"

Applejack didn't understand. "Erm..."

"Well?!" Rainbow smirked, dusting her hooves off as she hovered in mid-orchard. "You're the apple expert here! Or is your name 'Orangejack' all of the sudden?"

Applejack rolled her eyes. Rainbow could be such a jerk sometimes. Always a braggart... very rarely an adorable, innocent little thing that wanted to be cuddled in an alleyway—

"Unngh..." Applejack groaned. It felt like someone had lit a hot coal beneath her hat, and she hated it... hated everything. "This is why I don't work with pegasi..."

"Why?" Rainbow grinned, swiping her forehead dry.. "Cuz you can't stand the awesome? Or you're afraid of being out apple'd?"

"Less sassin' and more apple-loppin'!" Applejack legitimately barked. She pointed downhill. "There's still an entire field of trees downwind to knock out if we wanna make quota! Keep it up, surgarcube, and I promise I'll make it worth your while!" She winced at those last few words. Consarnit.

"Jee, you're welcome." Rainbow's nonchalance was almost disappointing.

Applejack sighed. The treasure in her hat grew lighter, and for a brief second she almost broke. "Rainbow..."

"Heh... s'all good. I get it." Rainbow flew off to tackle another orchard. "Don't fret, Cap'n, my Cap'n! I'm gonna make so many apples fall, Isaac Neighton will turn over in his grave!"

And just like that, Applejack switched from frustrated to exhausted to amused. "Oh horsefeathers..." She rolled her eyes, but smiled warmly. Some ponies were just too adorably forgivable. "I swear that last one made my brain hurt."

"Good thing apple bucking only involves your body!" Rainbow soared downhill. "Just try and keep up!"

"Don't wear yourself out too fast!"

"Who, me?" Rainbow flew beyond sight.

Applejack gazed after her. Her smile dwindled, and a sigh took its place. Every limb grew heavier, and the mare's scalp was tickled.

"Just keep facin' forward."

She adjusted her hat.

"Just keep movin', Applejack."

She acknowledge the softness beneath her hat... but looked no further than the sensation. With a firmer breath, she began packing the filled baskets into her wagon.

"T'ain't nothin' there but scamp. It's all in you. All of it." She took a deep breath. "All you."

As she got into the rhythm of loading the wagon, she hollered over the tree-tops, boldly: "You alright over there, sugarcube?! Ain't time for no restin' yet! We have a whole evenin' ahead of us!"

A scratchy voice cracked back: "I'm just s-surveying the land!"

"Sounds good to me!" Applejack breathed easier. She even managed a smile.

Preparing new baskets, she lined them up against the trees and resumed bucking.

Straight and purposeful.

Get Slumped

"Htttt!" Applejack bucked another tree.

Apples fell into a basket. She collected it and shoved it into the back of her wagon.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, she turned to approach another line of orchards...

...when she realized that all the trees were bereft of fruit.

"... ... ..." Applejack stood in place, calmly looking left and right.

More and more lines of trees had been bucked clean. The progress made that day was undeniable. But Applejack didn't accomplish it alone.

In the distance, she could hear the grunts of her friend.

Her friend... who showed up randomly out of nowhere to ask for a basket of apples... then spontaneously decided to lend a hoof in grueling, muscle-aching work.

Applejack took a deep breath. She looked over her shoulder, making sure the coast was clear. Then—with liquid motion—she took her hat off and glanced at the feather contained within.

The thing was several weeks old. And yet—miraculously—it had maintained its shape and vibrant color. This was after many-many bouncing adventures atop Applejack's skull.

Applejack smiled... but the smile didn't last long. She realized then and there that the inebriated soul that the thing was plucked from and the mare currently helping her were more than two different ponies. They deserved to be respected separately as well.

Rainbow knew nothing about the feather or what it meant to Applejack. Still, that was no reason to punish the mare—even if the drunken soul was the reason for Applejack acquiring it to begin with.

The farm mare felt terribly lucky and terribly guilty all at once.

She needed a breather, but she wasn't alone.

So, taking a deep breath, she plopped the hat back on, lifted two baskets of apples on her flank, and trotted towards the distant hill. "Rainbow?" She called out. "Rainbowwwww? You there, sugarcube?”

“Uhm, yeah!” A scampy voice cracked over the grassy crest. "Totally, Applejack! I wouldn’t have ditched ya!”

Applejack blinked weirdly at that, but shrugged it off. "You over by the southwest orchards?”

“Uh huh! Just about to—”

“Good. Stay where you are. Reckon it’s time for a breather.”

The farm grew silent.

Applejack rounded the hill and found Rainbow Dash slumped on her haunches. The poor pegasus was likely dead pooped, but wasn't about to admit it. Applejack digested the knowledge with a sweaty smirk.

“Whew! Land’s sake, Rainbow Dash!" she let loose cheerfully. "Would you look at yerself?”

“What?!” Rainbow flinched. “Wh-what?! Nothing special about me!”

“You kidding? Of course there is!” Applejack winked. “Yer my gul-durn savior today!”

“I am?”

“Well…” Applejack pivoted about and pointed at the fields from which she came. “Take a look for yerself, darlin’!”

Rainbow Dash craned her neck, blinking at the fruitless trees. "Oh… Groovy.”

“‘Spiffy’ is more like it, hun.” Applejack placed her baskets down and took the opportunity to stretch her legs, crackling multiple joints. "Whew! Gracious! I don’t know how you do it, Rainbow! I’m plum tuckered out, and I only did about half the labor that you did!”

Applejack figured that some good, old-fashioned complimenting would liven Rainbow's spirits. She hadn't anticipated the awkward reaction she got.

“Oh, uhm…” Rainbow bit her lip and murmured in a Fluttershy-esque tone: “You know. Good ol’ fashion pegasus versatility, eheh.”

Applejack's brow furrowed. "Them’s too many syllables.” Casually, she took her hat off and fanned herself. "Especially for you—” She awoke to the moment, eyes bulging. Consarnit! She slapped the hat back on, sucking in her breath.

It was Rainbow's turn to look at her funny.

Applejack smiled nervously. She may be a respectable friend, but Applejack could no longer simply relax around her. Not like before.

And just like that, Applejack felt sad again.

"Ahem… Why don’tcha ditch the saddlebag, Rainbow. Take a load off.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me.” Rainbow Dash smiled slightly. “I’m tight.”

“Suit yerself," Applejack muttered. She turned around three times before slumping down in the grass. "I’m takin’ a bit of a breather. I suggest you join me."

“Right…” Rainbow nodded, muttering something else under her breath.

Applejack didn't listen. She didn't particularly care at the moment. She simply sat and stared out at the western fields, delighting in the coolness of the afternoon combined with the bright glint of leftover sunlight on the grass and leaves stretched out before her.

Filthy Rich had drawn out of a lifelong deal, and the farm was in trouble. That was all true.

But right now, in the company of friends, with the buzzing ache of a long day's work tingling in her extremities...

...Applejack felt at ease. She didn't think she would again.

The sweaty breaths came evenly, and she couldn't help but smile.

She looked aside.

Rainbow Dash didn't look nearly as happy. In fact, she sat several feet away from the farm mare

“What’s the matter, sugarcube?” Applejack glanced back down the hill, her voice instantly switching into "big sister mode." She murmured, "Afraid of catchin’ somethin’?”

“Huh? What? No!" Rainbow's cheeks puffed up like a stubborn toddler's. "No no no no no… eheheh… I worked up a total sweat just now, y’know? Murdering all those trees? Pffft…” She waved a hoof between them. “Don’t want you gettin’ downwind of pegasus funk, gurl.”

“Heh…” Applejack’s lips curved. Rainbow Dash was just being Rainbow Dash. It was a welcome relief. “Are ya kiddin’? I smell like sawdust and farm sweat all the gosh dang time.”

“I knowwwww…”

Applejack blinked. She looked curiously at Rainbow.

The petite pegasus was stifling a casual yawn. "I-I mean… I know. Whatever.” She leaned forward, avoiding Applejack's gaze. Her voice took on the same emotionless tone as the hardened lines in her muzzle. “Don’t feel like you gotta boast about it to everypony. Not like we’re in some… friggin’ sweating competition.”

Applejack's ears drooped. She tried not to take Rainbow's words too close to heart—after all what happened back at the Gala weekend was simply a chaotic incident of happenstance. But—perhaps it was the tiniest flutter of the feather against her scalp—she couldn't help but feel like she had lost something she wasn't aware of. After all, Rainbow Dash was very busy these days with multiple jobs. There was no telling what her life was being encumbered by. Despite her own troubles, Applejack felt like a bad friend.

She realized that she needed to respond to Rainbow Dash, if only for the sake of responding.

“No, I reckon not," she muttered, literally forgetting what they were even talking about.

“Uh uh.” It would seem—for the moment—that Rainbow Dash had as well.

Applejack clenched her jaw tight. It was still bright out with a rosy sky overhead, and yet Applejack felt like she was back to the dull, dim nights of lying restlessly awake in her bed. Nights before the feather.

She avoided the sight of Rainbow Dash... the sky... and everything.

Awkward silence reigned.

Half and Half

It had only been a few minutes. To Applejack, they felt like interminable months.

She and another pony that she called her friend sat on the hilltop, overlooking the western fields. The farm was beautiful, serene, gorgeous.

Applejack saw nothing but the ugliness. The rot. The decay of fruit between the bucking hooves. She thought of Filthy Rich and the farm's declining profit. And in so doing, she realized that she was thinking of Filthy Rich and the farm's declining profit.

Where had her mind been? Where had her mind always been?

She went to the Gala for one reason and one reason alone. Meanwhile, all of her friends were simply trying to live in the moment... to realize dreams that mattered to them.

What mattered to Applejack? She already lived her dreams... and they were very dull dreams indeed.

Then again, what glorious fantasies could possibly be eked from a stone? Or two of them, for that matter?

"Oh Rainbow Dash," Applejack muttered spontaneously. "I’m awfully sorry.”

Rainbow looked at her curiously, and her tone was as friendly and innocent as ever. "Huh? For what?”

Applejack paled. Her heart jumped. Mind racing, she settled for a half-truth. "For bein’ such a sour apple to ya earlier." She slumped down until her chin rested on two folded hooves. "T’ain’t proper.”

“Heh…" Rainbow casually shrugged, as always. "I’d rather you apologize for all the darn apple jokes.”

“I’m serious, sugarcube.” Applejack gave her a melancholic glance. “I had no business tryin’ to shoo you away earlier like I did, especially when all you wanted to do was lend me a helping hoof.”

“Well, if I recall, all I wanted was some apples for… erm… stuff. Who says that’s changed?”

“But yer always chompin’ at the bit to help yer fellow ponies. It’s built in yer blood, Rainbow. Loyalty and all.”

“Heh… eheheh…” Rainbow kneaded the grass in front of her. “Yeah, well…”

“Figures it’d only be right if I was half as honest as I’m expected to be.” Applejack’s looked ahead. “Instead, I’m growin’ more and more tense with each passin’ day, and I’m usin’ it as an excuse to shrivel and hide in my own troubles." Rainbow Dash was a friend. The tiny creature Applejack cradled in an alleyway dwindled further and further away. Nevertheless, Applejack felt immeasurably guilty about harboring the memory. "Well, hidin’ the truth is just as bad as messin’ with it, and it ain’t true to my element. Nope, it ain’t true to it whatsoever.”

“Hey, AJ. You’ve got stuff to deal with. Best that you do it the way you know how.”

“And just how is that helpin’ me, huh?” Applejack felt the flutter under her hat, and for a moment there she didn't know which pegasus she was grumbling to anymore. "I’d not have gotten nearly as far as I did today if it weren’t for yer help, Rainbow. It’s about time I learned to stop bein’ stubborn and just… j-just share in the falls as much as the riches.” A sigh. “Tchhh… Reckon that came out crooked. Ya see, this is why I tend to keep it to myself n’all. It’s always like dancing with four left hooves.”

“You don’t have to keep it from me, Applejack.”

Applejack sucked her breath in. She thought of the shattering statue. Of the tears... the clinging forelimbs.

Six precious words... mewled foalishly...

Vulnerable and needing...

“You’ve been real with me before, remember?” Rainbow Dash spoke: When we hung out at Canterlot? You… do remember, right?”

Applejack clenched her jaw even tighter. Any second, and she might burst... melting from the heat of every thought that had hounded her since that weekend. That still flustered her now. That made it hard to look at her best friend straight in the face while thinking about the mare... the soul that almost was... that could have been...

Thus, Rainbow's next few words were all the more piercing: “H-how bad is it, Applejack?”

Applejack realized Rainbow was staring at the same thing she was: the farm. The fields. The apples and the verdant green leaves beyond. She was yanked back to the weekend at the Gala—but this time to a memory that they both shared. And she inhaled deeply.

“Real bad, sugarcube," she muttered. And—for once—she was telling the full truth to both halves of the rainbow.

Unfunny Farm

"'Real bad,' huh?" Rainbow Dash remarked with a nervous lilt to her voice. The petite pegasus coiled her wings tighter and kneaded the grass blades in front of her. "So... uhhhh... like... worse than before?"

Applejack breathed in heavily. She thought about the last time she poured her heart out before Rainbow Dash—in the streets of Canterlot. She had reduced herself to a blubbering fool, and it set in motion a drunken chain of events that led to how frazzled and uneven she currently felt at the moment.

But... she was wiser for it all. Or so she told herself.

"It's our chief buyer," Applejack murmured.

"Barnyard Bargains?"

Applejack nodded. "They gone and did what I always feared they might do."

"What? Sent store clerks in to set fire to half the orchards?"

Applejack rolled her eyes and smirked slightly. "Sadly, life ain't that comical, Rainbow Dash. The things ponies do to hurt y'all...?" She sighed, her smile fading completely. "It's a mite bit more subtle-like." She fought a sore lump in her throat. "Not to mention harder to crawl back from. If we suffered a fire or a natural disaster, then we might just be able to recuperate. What—with the support of the townsponies and all. They've pulled in for us before. But this? Sufferin' this sort of a setback is gonna make us look bad in the business scene. We're gonna fall a few rungs in the marketplace, and Celestia knows if anypony's gonna rush in to finance us after Barnyard Bargains of all things gives us the cold wither."

Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth. "What kind of total jerks would have turned on you?"

"Ones who're rightly concerned for their own profit," Applejack muttered. "Barnyard Bargains is far deeper in the competition than we are. They've got more on the line."

"Who can have more on the line than you, AJ?"

"Money-wise, just ask any pony out there with a business degree. I ain't got one. Have you?"

Rainbow merely bit her lip.

"Our biggest source of income has backed out, and nopony else is bitin' for all the apples we have to give. We either gotta sell a whole bunch of our property to get by... or—more likely—give up Sweet Apple Acres entirely." Applejack went on, sighing. "The fact is, I had every reason to see this comin’ from a long way’s off. It ain’t Granny’s fault, nor Big Mac’s. After all, I was the one who done took up the mantle of this here farm. And don’t get on me for bein’ all down on myself none. Truth is, there really isn’t a whole lot I could have done to prevent it on my lonesome. The market’s simply been goin’ downhill. Shucks, it probably was before Ma and Pa… well…”

Applejack couldn't go on. She could scarcely keep her eyes open without tearing up.

Rainbow Dash squirmed where she sat. “Yeah, b-but… To give up the whole frickin’ farm?”

Applejack felt a slight tickle in her scalp. She managed a bittersweet smile. "Ohhhh… it ain’t quite so terrible. Really. It’s the smart thang to do. If we clung to this here land just for the sake of doin’ so, then we’d end up collapsin’ even harder. Best to sell what we’ve got to ponies with the know-it-all to turn these here crops into a better industry.”

“But… you’ve owned this place for years!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "You and your family! I mean… Right?”

“Don’t nopony know it more than me, Rainbow," Applejack muttered. "But, fact is, unless we can find ourselves a loyal investor willin’ to cash in big time on our crops, we’ll be goin’ under before the next season.”

“But, don’t you… er… I mean…” Rainbow Dash fumbled for words. The tips of her ears burned slightly.

Applejack knew when her friend was feeling angry. “What? You were gonna bring up Filthy Rich, weren’t ya?”

“Well…” Rainbow's muzzle scrunched. She clearly had a hard time digesting the revelations expounded upon her. “Yeah. Hasn’t he been… uhm… loyal to you?”

“I never did fancy business folk too much. I always thought Mr. Rich was the exception, considerin’ all the thangs his father did for Ma and Pa back in the day. But, turns out he’s bits first and blood second. In this day’n’age, with cities becoming bigger and countries stretchin’ thinner, I suppose it’s only natural. Don’t make it right, but not like I’m the mare who’s in charge of anything.”

“Yeah, well…” Rainbow hissed, “I think it sucks.”

“Hah hah hah!” Applejack needed to laugh. Her ears twitched slightly as she smirked into the rosy scene. “Glad to know we dance to the same tune, Rainbow Dash, though you take mightier strides than I.”

“What are you gonna do?” Rainbow Dash blinked. “You and the family, I mean?”

“Reckon we’re gonna do what the rest of the folks here do,” Applejack said. “Stay here in Ponyville. Learn to blend in. Get work somewhere in town. We Apple folk have plenty of friends in town, and I don’t mean just Rarity and Twilight and Pinkie. Over the years, we’ve made our fair share of connections, and I’d be darned if none of them feel like reciprocating.”

“So… you’ll be staying here?” Rainbow cocked her head aside. “In Ponyville?”

“Well, shoot, either that or move in with the Oranges in Manehattan.” Applejack remarked. Flashbacks to awkward dinner conversations and even awkward-er manestyles flickered through her mind. “Brrrrrr… Now there’s somethin’ I ain’t too keen on.”

“What about Granny Smith?"

“What about her?”

“Well, AJ, she’s goin’ on in her years, right?” Rainbow shrugged. “You think—at her age n’stuff—that this sort of sudden change will be… h-healthy for her?”

Applejack looked at her friend. She thought of the petite pegasus that once clung to her... but then she also thought of the brash pony who chased after Nightmare Moon... who helped her friends span a canyon in the Everfree Forest... who kicked a dragon in the face.

So many things that Rainbow Dash had done, and Applejack had once made the grave mistake of interpeting too much from a single, sideways gesture—no matter how delicate or precious.

“Yer really concerned for the whole family, aren’t you?” she remarked.

Rainbow looked strangely taken back by the question. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?” she droned in a slightly defensive tone.

Applejack winced inwardly. She shrugged it off with a chuckle. "Nawwww, sugarcube. I just don’t think I’ve ever seen you have a single conversation with Granny Smith ever.”

“Well… she’s your family, Applejack. I know that she means a lot to you.”

“She means a lot to many ponies. She’s the salt of the earth, ol’ Apple Smith.” Applejack breathed. “I just hope she doesn’t feel as though I’m lettin’ her down.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, I know that she manages well for herself n’all, but a lot of time it’s just show. She’s lived a long life and has seen many ponies she cares for leave this earth. A mare with that degree of experience and moral fortitude also stands to clam up an awful bit, especially when it comes to the things that would only tear her apart if she let ‘em out on the surface.”

The air was silent for a while. Then Applejack heard something she hadn't expected.

“Wow, Applejack," Rainbow murmured in a breath of wonderment.

“Hmm?” Applejack glanced over.

“It’s just that you’re…" Rainbow smiled helplessly. "You’re so on top of the ball. I mean, you’ve got everypony figured out.”

“Well, everyone in the household.”

“Right! That’s the point! You’ve had to carry your close kin on your shoulders for-freaking-ever. You’ve had to think for them as well as for yourself.”

“Heh." Applejack looked towards a distant hill with gravestones on it. "I reckon…”

“If you ask me, it sounds like one heck of a juggling act.”

Applejack fought a pained breath. “Not really," she said. She pulled her hat tighter, feeling the tiny flutter of the feather inside. "Not if you do it everyday.”

“It still blows my mind.”

“Yes, well…” Applejack sat up straight. “It’s all part of livin’ with family members. I guess I really can’t expect you to understand—” Applejack's heart sank. A cloud fell over the hilltop, the farm, and her. Her throat went icy cold as she summoned the strength to blurt: “Aw shoot.” She looked over just in time to catch Rainbow's body locked up extra-tight. “Sugarcube, I’m awful sorry.” Her heart beat heavily with guilt and fear. “I didn’t mean nothin’ by that! I wasn’t thinkin’—”

“Heh… s’all good.” Rainbow's smile was both stabbing and relieving at once. “No feelings hurt, okay? I’ve gotten used to goin’ the distance on my own. Ages ago, ponies used to get all sappy with me—cuz of what… well… with what happened to Dad.” She cleared her throat. “Truth is, all the stuff in my life—both crappy or not—have made me into a better, awesomer mare.”

Applejack thought of a drunken pegasus flying haphazardly over Canterlot rooftops. She had already said all the wrong things, but she was still sorely tempted to—“You really believe that?” she blurted. Consarn it...

Rainbow's response was nonchalant. “I… uh… I kinda have to.”

Applejack nodded. “Reckon you do.” She should have just left it at that. But her scalp tickled and she couldn't take her mind off the tearful pegasus nestled in a back alleyway. "Still, does it ever get lonesome?”

“Pffft! Naaah. You kidding?” Rainbow's tone and devilish smirk positively startled Applejack. The farm mare knew she should have been relieved, but part of her felt crushed to hear the winged pony go on: "I get to chillax on my own schedule. I’ve got tons of hours to practice the coolest flying moves. And when or if all of that freedom bores me… heh… well, I always got you rad gals to hang out.”

Applejack looked at Rainbow. Of all the ponies to have had an awkward experience with—Fluttershy, Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie—fate had chosen the strangest candidate. One who was scampy and mysterious... delicate and daring... trustworthy and annoying all at once. She was an impossible mare to read... except for the time when six words were rattled her way in pure, unfiltered clarity. Applejack had captured lightning in a crystalline vial, once, and now she was at a loss to sample it any further. It gave the mare the sensation that everything in Canterlot was a dream. A good dream... but one that had nightmarish aftershocks. Even now—sharing the sweat and sunlight on a hilltop overlooking her ill-fated farm—Applejack wasn't certain she wanted to wake up or not. She was afraid of the truth she'd find her eyes staring straight into.

But one thing was for certain, she felt... stronger with Rainbow Dash around.

"Yer one of a kind, Rainbow Dash," she heard herself finally say. And it was as honest a statement as she could ever give.

Apple Goals

It didn't take long for Rainbow Dash to digest Applejack's compliment. "You think so, eh?"

Applejack took a breath. She looked at her friend... past her. Searching for clarification. Searching for something sincere, true, but not truer than she was willing to accept at the moment.

"I..... have to admit," Applejack began. "I've... always admired the way you carry yerself about."

Rainbow blinked. "You have?"

Applejack had unwittingly cast herself into a spotlight. She had? Another deep breath, and she threw another truth aside: "Even if yer a downright sassy braggart about it from time to time."

Rainbow glanced aside. "Oh..."

Applejack winced. She rushed quick to the rescue: "Still... it's inspirin'. You strike everypony as a mare who always has what she wants and has the gumption to show off about it. Ya feel me?"

“I… I guess.” Rainbow gazed off, picking her response with remarkable thoughtfulness. “The way I’ve figured it, being awesome is knowing that what you want—more than anything in the world—is right in front of you all the time.”

Applejack nodded at that. She felt the tickle against her scalp, so she adjust the brim of her hat. Her eyes swam their way to the stones on the lone hilltop in the distance.

"Sometimes," Rainbow Dash continued. "...it’s all that keeps you going.”

Applejack gulped. “Well, more power to ya, sugarcube." Applejack's gaze fell away, cascading through the half-bucked orchards of her farm. "I gotta admit, there are times when I wish I had that sort of straight, rigid vision.”

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. "What’s stopping you?”

Applejack jolted slightly. She looked sideways at her friend. "Hmmm?”

“Things are changing in your life, aren’t they?” Rainbow said. “Who’s to know? Maybe now’s a time for a perspective shift.”

Applejack squinted at her. “How do you mean?”

“I mean, you can still take care of your family and all, but perhaps you can set apart some time for yourself.”

Applejack was still lost. “I’m… uh… I’m still lost, sugarcube.”

The scamp poured out of Rainbow with a roll of her eyes. “Oh puh-lease, Applesmack! Think about it!”

“Think about what?”

Rainbow stood up, frowning slightly. “What do you want more in your life than anything else!”

Applejack's answer was swift. “Pffft! To save this here farm, what else?”

“Aim further.”

That hurt the farm mare's brain. She struggled not to go cross-eyed. “Huh?”

Rainbow paced while talking. “It’s no big friggin’ secret that you wanna keep this farm, this land, and all the squirrels that live in its trees. But there’s gotta be more to it than that!”

“I swear, darlin’..." Applejack trembled slightly. Gulping, she looked back at the orchards. "...there r-really ain’t.”

“Really?” Rainbow scuffled to a stop in the grass. She squinted pointedly at her seated friend. "There isn’t something you’ve wanted to maintain the farm for?”

“Like… like you mean a goal?”

“Yeah, girl!” Rainbow grinned wide. “A goal!”

Applejack continued gazing at the ever-expansive acres of land. Rainbow had asked her a question about the future. But—in searching for an answer that solaced her... an answer that made sense—she could only look in the past.

Everything was in Applejack's past. She acknowledged it... and wasn't too terribly troubled by it. Applejack thought of Rainbow's question... of the idea of attainable goals... of accomplishing something and creating something and establishing something—a foundation—like her parents had.

Her parents...

For the first time in ages, Applejack's memories were rosy and gold-tinged. The gray granite malaise had vanished, and she smiled through it, warm and freckled and lively.

“Hmmmmm… welllll…”

“Yeah? Yeahhhh?” Rainbow leaned forward.

“I… I always fancied…” Applejack reclined until her muzzle was resting on her forelimbs. "...f-fancied havin’ a family of my own.”

The Once and Future Past

Rainbow's reaction was as foalish as could be expected. “Pffft. Don’t you already have that, silly pony?”

“Well, yes. And… n-no." Applejack gulped, her eyes wandering to the more familiar trees hanging out by the back of her house, barn, and hen house. "This here’s a different dream, sugarcube.”

Rainbow cocked her head to the side. "Oh?”

Applejack nodded. She opened her lips... hesitated... then finally poured the crystal clean truth out of her mouth, chest, heart, soul. “I wanna be a mother someday, Rainbow Dash," she said in a low, humming tone. "I wanna foal a kid… shucks… a whole gaggle of young’n’s. I wanna raise ‘em good’n’proper, show ‘em the ropes, give ‘em the love and attention that they deserve.” She shuddered slightly, feeling an undeniably tingling sensation from the core of her being. “And not disappear on ‘em, because of one really cruel hoof of fate or ‘nother.” Only the edges of her words had a bitter taste to them. The rest was sweet, wholesome, spreading.

“Huh…” Rainbow Dash’s voice careened off to the side, eventually hooking back to the conversation at hoof. "That’s really sweet, Applejack.”

“Course, t’ain’t all there is to it," Applejack murmured.

Rainbow glanced at her again. "Oh?”

Applejack shook her head. “Nosiree." She blew out the side of her muzzle, and the next statement came crooked, stumbling, adorable. "I gotta lasso myself a fine stallion sometime." She thought of the state of the farm and her ears drooped. "...And pretty darn soon, too.”

Rainbow nodded again. Her breath came out in a windy fashion. "Oh..."

Applejack went on: "“And I dun mean none of that ‘stallion of my dreams’ or ‘knight in shinin’ armor’ hooey that Rarity is always swoonin’ over.” The farm mare rolled her eyes, then smirked. "But rather… a simple, sweet, and down-to-earth gentlecolt. A stallion who knows the lay of the land, and yet is willin’ to learn new things… things that I can teach ‘em, cuz relationships are all supposed to be about give n’take. Ya reckon?”

“Hmmm? Oh, yeah. Sure…” Rainbow struggled not to sound bored. She sat back down, stifled a yawn, and repeated: "Give and take…”

Try as she might to deny it, Applejack was drumming up memories of her father... or at least memories she thought were true of her father. "He’d be strong and capable. But none of that macho… bravismo nonsense. A stallion who’s too preoccupied with showin’ off and tryin’ to woo me ain’t worth the time. I’d rather have a kind, patient, understandin’ sort of a special somepony. A pony who’d stick by my sides at all times, and yet… I-I could take care of him too.”

Applejack blinked at her own words. The next question was as much to herself as it was to her best friend seated beside her. "You don’t reckon that sounds a tad bit silly, does it?”

Rainbow's response was somewhat delayed. “Oh! No! Not… strange at all for you to want to take care of a pony…”

“Yeah…”

Rainbow rambled on: “To hold him close and make him feel safe and wanted…”

Applejack giggled inwardly, thinking of nights where she cradled the feather, holding onto an idea that had infected her mind... reawakening the inner mother who checked on Apple Bloom in the middle of the night, that yearned for breaths beyong the tinge of moonlight. “Heheh… sure thang." Like all fantasies, it was nebulous and cyclical and impossible to track. But the feeling—the sensation—was undeniably concrete, and it anchored Applejack to the moment at hoof. Perhaps too strongly. She felt a lump in her throat forming, and she inwardly cursed the irony of sharing this with a scampy friend whose drunken shenanigans inadvertently reinvigorated the entire plunge to begin with. "Sure thang...”

Rainbow—in the meantime—was carrying the narrative forward. "Cuddle him tightly in bed. Wrap your legs around him and nuzzle his ears… whisper to him that it’s okay to be weak sometimes, so long as you’ve got the strength to help pick him back up together.”

“Sure—" Applejack did a double take. "—wait… huh?"

Rainbow merely stared back.

Applejack spoke on: “I… uh… think I’d settle for a stallion who could help me take care of the young’n’s…” Applejack clarified with a smile. “And the farm, of course.”

Rainbow's next question was boldly brutal: “But AJ, what… what if you don’t get to salvage the farm, y’know?”

Applejack kneaded the blades of grass in front of them. She searched back to memories of her mother, attempting to connect the dots and understand—or perhaps re-understand—what had gotten her to fall so heavily for her father to begin with. "I reckon in the end, it doesn’t matter. Trust… loyalty… commitment.” She felt pressured to choose a "masculine" quality all of the sudden. Without questioning it, she threw in: "A handsome scent.” She chuckled at herself.

Rainbow chuckled as well. "Heh. Heh. Hehhhh.”

Feeling better, Applejack gazed off at the lengths of the sun-kissed farmland. "In the end, it’s all about havin’ somepony special to come back home to."

Silence.

Applejack felt the seconds wasting away. She and her friend had been on break for far too long. Fantasizing about the future—about promises kept yet undelivered—wasn't helping her get anything done, and the farm was in enough trouble as it was. Some things simply weren't afforded, and it was difficult to explain that to anypony—even herself. “Yeah, well, yere a better dreamer than I am, Rainbow Dash," she ultimately said. "I’m ‘fraid it only gives me the blues somethin’ fierce.”

“I… uh… I feel ya. Believe me.”

“All that stuff—however charmin’—has gotta take a backseat to what I’m dealin’ with now. Once I’m done havin’ somethin’ to fret over… for better or for worse… that’s when I’ll get to relax.” Applejack exhaled lightly. “And settle.” She felt a tingle in her chest, rising up, manifesting moistly in her eyes. Her voice wavered slightly as she let the latest wave of truth unfold from her muzzle: "And, land’s sakes, I sure do look forward to settlin’ one of these days.”

Once again, Applejack's gaze fell upon the stones resting atop the hill. She felt penetrated... encumbered by the grayness... the borders of everything she was and ever will be... like the faceless picture frames lining the walls of her home, forever collecting dust.

When a set of blue hooves yanked her wildly upwards, it was downright startling.

Applejack gasped, teetering in Rainbow's grasp. "Huh?!" Suddenly, all she could see was color. Bright and vibrant. "What in tarnation—???"

“Come on, Applejack.” Gestured swiftly towards the orchards. "We’ve got some work to do!”

“But… but Rainbow." Applejack gulped, motioning towards the setting sun. "I can’t ask you to sweat yerself anymore. Just look. We done gabbed the sun into hiding. Thanks for all yer help, sugarcube, but honestly, you don’t have to—”

“Bite your tongue!” Rainbow Dash suddenly snarled. “Does that sound like the Applejack I know?”

“Uhhhh…” Applejack gulped nervously. “Maybe?”

Rainbow bore a devilish smirk. "We’ve got some apples to buck! It’s a full moon out tonight! We’ll kick trees until we collapse if we have to!”

“Rainbow Dash, honestly, I appreciate yer spunk, but—”

“But nothing! You wanna get a heads up on the Apple Buck Season while it may be your last?”

“Well, of course!”

“Then let’s get our flanks into gear!” Rainbow Dash soared downhill.

“Rainbow, what’s gotten into you?" Applejack's voice was strung up between a growl and a guffaw. "Yer usually not this gung ho about farm work!”

At the base of the hill, Rainbow spun about to look up at the mare. "Applejack, look at me. Are ya looking at me?”

Applejack nodded, eyes narrow and studying.

"I promise you," Rainbow said firmly. "Things are gonna be okay. You’re gonna have your farm.” The next part came in a gunshot. “And you’re gonna live out your dream. Ya hear me?”

Applejack bit her lip. Her mind wandered back to another time in her life when everything was vibrant and bright. Somewhere in the colors, her parents smiled. They spoke warm things—just like Rainbow. And even if they didn't say the exact same words to her adolescent self, in the trailing warmth of Rainbow's words—Applejack imagined that they just as well could have.

"Hmmmmmmm..." Applejack eventually replied. "Sure thang, Sugarcube.”

“Save the sugars and cubes for the morning.” Rainbow Dash spun and flew into the next line of apple trees, blue muscles rippling. "Now let’s get goin’! Last pony in’s a rotten apple!”

“Oh, jee… That’s soooo darn original.”

“Your face is original! Now move it or lose it!”

Moments

Applejack wasn't used to working the fields past sundown. But that wasn't her problem that evening.

Her problem was actually her best asset at the moment: Rainbow Dash zipped through the orchards and tackled the branches with such speed and bravado that it nearly blew the farm mare off her hooves. Applejack would be done with a single row of apple trees, and by the time she was shoving the baskets full of apples to the wagon, she would find that Rainbow Dash had arranged twice as many and was already working halfway through the next line.

The petite pegasus was a veritable force of nature. Even though it was a full moon, Applejack had the hardest time keeping track of her between each sweaty blink. While it was encouraging to have such great help in a pinch, there was the undeniable feeling that Applejack was being outdone by a far more capable apple bucker.

Through waves of exhaustion and mental frustration, Applejack's mind clung to agonizing, self-pitying ideas that darkened in time to the waning evening. She thought of what it would take to actually attempt to find farmwork elsewhere... if she and her family would be considered too "old-fashioned" or "slow-paced" to make the cut. The realm of Equestria was complex, wild, and fast-paced. All it took was one summer visit to Manehattan for Applejack to embrace the full concept of a blazingly competitive environment. Ponyville was simply something Applejack was born into. How in tarnation was she to survive anywhere else?

To keep her heart and soul from imploding, Applejack focused on Granny Smith's kind words. Despite how rotten things had gotten with the farm as of late—with the departure of an age-long business partner and all—Granny Smith had somehow maintained her cool. She had lived a long life tempered by both joy and tragedy. Applejack envied her, in a way... envied her for the calm and tranquil mindset required to take such calamitous things in stride. Perhaps there was a greater thing worth living for... worth striving for than promises that Applejack struggled to keep in times of tribulation.

And it wasn't long until Applejack's mind wandered to some of Rainbow Dash's questions... and the answers that she heard herself giving just two hours ago. Answers kindled by the warmth of the glowing land under a rosy sunset. Answers tingling with the same joy a young Applejack felt when clinging to her mother... or resting on her father's backside as he did the simplest of farm chores. Looking back, she realized that her folks were just as laid back as Granny Smith. They did their harvests gradually... methodically... with no fear of a disastrous future.

What's more, they did all of their tasks together. Side by side. Heck... they only passed away from the tragedy that befell them because they were tackling something together as well.

Could it have been possible that they had discovered their true calling... their one single goal in life?

Had they found their happiness already, and all work beyond that was just striving to do what was best for the fruit of their labor?

For that matter... did either of them feel pressured to meet promises made to the gray shadows of souls that came and went before them?

Did they ever... feel imprisoned?

Applejack shuddered.

She paused in apple-bucking, wiping sweat off her brow in the moonlight.

Her mind had wandered too far. Phantom limbs had stubbed themselves on ideas both timeless and bitter. It shot a pain up her spine and manifested in a sour lump in her throat.

And at this juncture in her life, Applejack only knew of one way to solace the sting.

She took her hat off and gazed at the interior. It was a daring thing, but Rainbow Dash was far off on the other side of the farm, kicking fruit loose. She couldn't possibly see. And even if she did, how would she be expected to understand?

Even Applejack didn't understand. After all the things said and words exchanged...

...the feeling still remained. A bottomless well she could tap with just a momentary glance. The feeling of being needed... of sharing something precious... of something surprising and fulfilling all at once.

A sensation that was born out of absurdity and destroyed in the sober reality of the following morning. Something that was true in six spoken words and then obliterated immediately thereafter. A moment that would change Applejack's life forever—only it didn't—and all she could do now was sustain herself with the lingering flavor of the spontaneous happenstance. Forever and never. After all, the most precious things don't live for long. Applejack—if any pony—knew that the best. A "sensation" it would remain... forever.

But something happened when she went to take a look at the feather this time.

It blew off in a gust of nightly wind... along with the entire hat.

Applejack gnashed her teeth. "Awwww gul-darn it!"

The hat toppled and rolled downhill, threading through tree trunks. The moonlight caught a flicker of tiny blue vibrance. The feather was still plastered inside. Anypony could see the unmistakable glint. Even—

"Chillax, AJ!" Rainbow flew in from nowhere, heroically gliding towards the windblown article. "I got it!"

Applejack's heart stopped. She might as well have grown wings—for in a savage burst she was sailing downhill towards the inevitable holocaust.

In her throbbing vision, she saw the petite pegasus touching down... bending low... grasping the edge of the Stetson with her hoof...

"Hrmmmf—You should staple this thing to your ears, I swear—"

Reality crushed the fragile moment. Rainbow Dash was an annoying habitual drunkard with no respect for sobriety, royal garden statues, or country-bred best friends who bent over backwards to protect her from the law.

Engulfing all these things, Applejack let loose a dragon roar. "Don't touch that!"

Rainbow jumped in place. The hat rolled from her grasp and into Applejack's—who was just then landing with a monumental thud.

Wheezing, Applejack snatched up the article. In a heartbeat, she hugged the hat to her fuzzy chest... then struggled with the putrid task of having to shrug the entire debacle off before her loyal companion.

""I... I-I mean... please, sugarcube, if you don't m-mind..." Applejack reached into the hat with one hoof, felt around, and shuddered with relief upon feeling the precious feather still resting inside. Clearing her throat, she plopped the article back atop her crown and resumed damage control. "Whew! It's just that... uhm... you see, I've got... uhm..."

Rainbow stared at her, eyes wide in the starlight.

Applejack stared back.

Some things were too broken to fix. Whatever happened to Rainbow Dash on the Gala—whatever the entire drunken debacle meant to the scampy pegasus—was undeniably one of them.

The farm, however, was something that could be salvaged. If Rainbow Dash was there to assist with that, then that was all the confidence Applejack needed to proceed.

So she did.

"Right." She spun about and marched up the hill in the moonlight. "Reckon th-that's enough apple buckin' for the day. Heh... t'ain't even day anymore. By golly did we get a lot of fruit basketed! Could use a lil' help rollin' the wagons in, darlin', if ya don't mind helpin' me just a sneeze more. There's a good filly."

Behind her, she heard a confused pony muttering: "Yeah... s-sure. No problem."

Applejack clenched her teeth. She considered smacking herself in the forehead...

...but the tiny flutter of the feather against her scalp told her otherwise. So—ever obedient—she simply trudged forward. If nothing else, it was the easier thing to do, Applejack discovered...

Unwinnable

It had to have been midnight... or something close to it.

Applejack could scarcely tell anymore. She could barely even keep her eyes open. Nevertheless, on tried and tested hooves, she pulled a cart overflowing with fruit baskets up a steep hillside and towards the rear of the Apple Family Barn. She sensed Rainbow Dash hovering alongside, a constant and colorful presence. She yawned, and the world briefly vanished on all sides—including her friend.

Rainbow's voice snapped her back to reality: "Uhm... AJ? You sure you don't need help with—?"

"Rnnngh..." Applejack shook her head, voice moving with molasses motion. "I've... got this... Sugarcube..." Coming to a stop was more painful than moving. She nearly stumbled from the apple cart bumping into her rear. It took an extra degree of strength to unhitch herself from the apparatus altogether, stained with sweat and the ache of longterm labor as she was. "Besides, you've done enough today."

"Hey..." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I'm happy to lend a hoof. But, y'know, nothing for you to kill yourself over."

"Nonsense. I just..." Applejack fought the urge to yawn—it would be too painful. Disentangling herself from the rigging of the apple cart, she stood limply beside the barn. "I-I just know all the strengths and weaknesses of this here cart. No sense in you accidentally knocking it apart by hitting a stray rock in the ground or nothin'."

"Jee..." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Don't mention it, darlin'." At long last, Applejack lost her balance. She had to lean against the back of the cart to stay upright. Somehow—after an entire evening of apple bucking with Rainbow—she had finally lost all sense of pride. She leaned lazily against the stacks of basketed fruit, bearing a drunken smile. "Whewwww-weeee!" The farm mare rubbed one freckled cheek, then the other. "I haven't bucked anythang that hard in months!"

Rainbow's voice cracked into a bearly intelligible giggle.

Applejack squinted at her in the moonlight. "What's so cotton-pickin' funny?"

"It's nothin'." Rainbow Dash insisted, waving a hoof. "I promise."

"Hmmph." Applejack fought yet another yawn. She was sorely tempted to roll over in the grass and call it a night right then and there. "For a pony who's used to the sky, ya sure do keep yer mind in the gutter an awful lot."

"Oh come on!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "That was an easy one!"

"Hmmm... reckon it was." Applejack closed her eyes, which was her first huge mistake. She leaned like a dead weight against the cart, drifting. "Reckon it was..."

Silence.

Applejack was floating away. Her only anchor was a light stetson. Hidden inside, an even lighter feather. It glinted bright and blue in the moonlight. Applejack jolted awake. As she blinked, she heard Rainbow's voice stammering...

"I wish you luck with the apples. Hope they were worth your while..."

Applejack spoke, if only to free the lump in her throat. "Rainbow, darlin'?"

"Huh?"

Applejack turned around. She slapped the apple cart firmly, and a basket fell loose. Catching it, she slid it across the grass until it stopped right against Rainbow's fetlocks.

"There ya go, sugarcube."

Rainbow Dash merely looked at it.

Applejack's forehead creased. "Didn't ya want some of your own super bad hours ago?"

Rainbow Dash slapped her own forehead. "Friggin' duh! I swear, where's my darn head these days?"

Applejack shrugged. "Beats me." A smile, and she sighed. "But I know where yer heart is."

Rainbow looked strangely at her. An innocent, foalish expression. "You d-do?"

Applejack avoided her gaze. She thought of all the wonderful things Rainbow Dash had done for her—including that evening. She thought of lengths she had gone to protect her friends, the jobs that the petite pegasus had picked up as of late... the multiple loyal commitments that she had thrown herself at, maturely. Dedicatedly.

Rainbow Dash was the epitome of loyalty. To expect anything else from her... to expect anything beyond what Applejack received already... was fantastical at best. For a moment there, Applejack couldn't believe that she was ever foolish enough to have interpeted more... to have imagined more than what she had been graciously given. Such were the sins of weighing too much into the childish murmurs of a close friend briefly clouded by cider one lonesome... lonesome evening.

"Yup." Applejack eventually murmured, leaning back against the cart again. She slumped somewhat, and folded her forelimbs with casual grace. "I just wonder where you got the gumption to build yer own homemade swill."

"Uhhhh... homemade what-now?" Rainbow stammered.

Applejack didn't know whether to blame Rainbow Dash for being adorably stupid, or herself for being too tired to make sense. "Y'know, a swill!" She smirked, yawning and gesturing at the apple basket by Rainbow's hooves. "For mixin' yer own apple cider." There was a bitter flavor to the suggestion, but Applejack assumed Rainbow didn't pick up on it.

Evidently, she was right. "Oh, puh-lease," Rainbow exhaled. "Like I know anything about making my own cider!"

"No shame in admittin' the truth, Rainbow Dash," Applejack murmured, mostly to herself. Her eyes closed and the fuzziness of the night spread all over her, inside and out. "You certainly earned them apples you've got ten times over..."

"Applejack, for crying out loud! The truth is... I miss apple cider really, really bad."

"Hmmm..." Applejack felt herself putting on a wry smirk. "That's what I thought..." She yawned again. Her forelimbs tickled, yearning for a feather to cradle... to carry her away from the sweat and grime and ache.

"...would have been just fine leaving without the apples," somepony said. Somepony adorable. "Just knowing that I did something to help you..."

Applejack had helped a pony before. It was a delightful feeling. A precious feeling.

Still... just a feeling... like the illusion of being cuddled in the dark. Having her blonde mane stroked. Or having somepony to hold... to come home to. To protect... to provide for... to possess.

If Rainbow Dash was anything like Applejack, then she was a mare who understood—deep down inside—what it meant to earn something. She wasn't some helpless foal... some yearning soul that was desperate for the nebulous and unwinnable. There wasn't a dreamly star for her to wish on and make her dreams come true.

And yet, Applejack couldn't help but wonder... perhaps even wish that there was a sliver of her left from that one dark alleyway in the lofty heights of Canterlot...

She couldn't help but wish there was somepony out there, just as precious, just as yearning... desiring to be saved. To be rescued. To be rewarded.

"Wish... wish ya could win it all too..."

Applejack shuddered. It was the first tear that awoke her to the fact that she was the one speaking.

With a gasp, her moist eyes twitched open.

A faint fog hung low over the lawn of Sweet Apple Acres. The grass was soaking with dew, and the dimmest hint of a rising sun kissed the east horizon.

Rainbow Dash was long gone, along with her basket. Applejack had slept against the apple cart all night.

"Mrmmmfff..." Applejack rubbed her freckles dry and stood up on stiff limbs. "Darn... stupid varmint."

She could have been talking about Rainbow Dash, but she knew better.

She pushed the cart into the barn... then limped her exhausted way to the house.

And into a brisk, cold shower.

Mope Harvest

Applejack had barely gotten any sleep and she was back up to apple bucking again. Towards the latter half of the following day, she assisted Big Mac in fixing a fence along the west end of the farm. Then there followed an awkward, quiet dinner... and then bed again.

The following day, Applejack went to market. Ponies bought some of the farm's produce—but not as much as she had hoped. She trudged home in a slump, carrying twice as many fruit as she had initially expected to be bringing back. That night she had yet another long talk with Granny Smith, the latter of whom decided to pay a visit to her distant cousins in Fillydelphia to see if they knew of any potential buyers for bulk apple product. It was the weekend, so she took along Apple Bloom—which was fine. Applejack figured the little foal could use some time off for levity while her older siblings toiled with the reality at hoof.

The next day was farmwork... as was the day after that... and the day following. It felt like Applejack only had to blink three times, and Granny Smith had already returned with her little sister in tow. There were no leads in Fillydelphia, but Granny had been advised to go visit Golden Delicious—a distant relative—to try for better luck. Applejack wished Granny good fortune, then returned to her work.

It was all she could do. Between sunrise and sunset, she immersed herself in the toil. At the rate she was going, there would be no fruit clinging to the trees—and they'd have to wait a spell before there'd be enough apples for harvesting yet again. Big Macintosh suggested keeping a section of the orchards untouched, but Applejack wasn't entirely certain. After all, the fruit had already ripened, and if they didn't do a complete harvest then it might all go to waste.

Still, Applejack couldn't help but feel as though she was doing an insane amount of work for little to no gain. Aside from a few casual individuals milling about in the marketplace thrice a week, the only enthusiastic buyer the family had was Rainbow Dash—and she had earned her fruit through hard labor alone.

It got to the point that the totality of the family's primary barn had been entirely filled with bounty. Applejack couldn't summon the courage to look at it. She had never been sickened by the sight of apples before like she was now.

And at night—when the damnable shadows came, and Applejack was alone in her room like she was in the fields—she lingered at her vanity, staring at the drawer with the feather cradled in her grasp.

It had helped her accomplish so much in a blurred period of time... and to what end?

Granny hadn't found any leads, and nopony was buying up their harvest. The family was just as doomed as they were the moment they heard the bad news from Filthy Rich.

"Feelin' ain't nearly as swell as bein', ain't it?" Applejack murmured.

The feather had no answer. Applejack felt stupid yet again for expecting something.

And yet... as she tried to put it away...

...she couldn't.

Several loathsome minutes later, she crawled back into bed. She had the feather clasped inside the velvet case as she nuzzled it into the night. No, she couldn't feel its unmistakable softness that electrified her, but at least this way the feather was preserved in the long run... preserved in all its uselessness.

Just like the family fruit.

Applejack had sweated so much that week that her body hadn't the moisture to produce tears. She much preferred it that way.

Carry Apples Home

"Applejack?"

It was late afternoon, and the Ponyville market place was closing. The farn mare was putting baskets of unsold fruit back into her wagon. She sgihed.

"Hey! Applejack!"

"...?" She turned around, blinking. After a few seconds, her gaze lowered.

A pair of emerald eyeslits gazed back up at her.

"Oh..." She put on a tired, freckled smile. "Howdy, Spike. What can I do ya for?"

"How have you been?" the young dragon asked.

To that, the mare merely raised an eyebrow. "I've been... handlin' myself just fine. Why do you ask?"

"I dunno." He shrugged. He held a clump of books to his chest—no doubt on the way back to Golden Oaks to deliver them to Twilight. "It just feels like forever and a day since I've seen you last."

"Reckon I've been busy."

"Heh! No kidding!" Spike winked. "I guess you could say that I'm always busy, but I still find time to come visit my friends. Erm..." He winced slightly, his spines wilting. "N-not that you haven't been a good friend. I-I just mean that the world's all the more sunny when you're around and without you it's... like..." He winced even more. "An eclipse? Guh. I dunno."

"Y'know, Spike..." Applejack chuckled slightly and resumed packing her things away. "With all the books you read, I'd expect you to spit out words better."

"I'm only ever transcribing. Not writing."

"I hear ya. Anyways... I gotta get back to the farm."

"Awwwwwww..." Spike pouted, eyes glistening. "Already? Feels like I just now ran into you."

"Well, sorry, little feller," Applejack remarked. "But I gots me lots of stuff to take care of back at the homestead."

"Yeah. I guess." Spike nodded, hugging his books tighter. "That can't be helped."

"Reckon Twilight and the others would be more than happy to hang out with ya if you ask them."

"That's just the thing..." Spike fidgeted where he stood. "I don't see you a whole lot these days, Applejack. And Rainbow Dash too—she's almost never around."

"Yeah..." Applejack exhaled, gazing at the lazy sun beyond the gold-thatched rooftops. "Imagine that..."

"And Fluttershy... she's kind of a no-show these days too."

"Really?" Applejack blinked. "Oh. Right. Guess I can imagine that."

"Huh?"

Applejack coughed dismissively. "We've just got... thangs to do, Spike. Ain't no thang."

"Yeah. I guess. Still... feels like these days it's only me, Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity hanging out. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing." He chuckled, his purple scales turning a tad bit rosier. "More Rarity is best Rarity. But still..." A sigh. "... ... ...I kinda miss the good ol' days, y'know?"

"Uh huh..."

"When it was all seven of us just... chillin' at Golden Oaks or having girly talk at Sugarcube Corner..."

"Ya miss the girly talk, eh, partner?"

He stamped his lower claw. "You know what I mean!"

"Heheheheh..."

"Guess it's just what Twilight says sometimes. 'Good things don't last forever.'"

Applejack bit her lip. "Twilight says that?"

"Well, she used to. She used to a lot. Before coming to Ponyville, I mean." Spike sighed, smirking in a bittersweet manner. "That mare used to be all kinds of gloom."

"Huh... reckon so..."

"But—she's still a lot better off these days. She knows you and Rainbow and Fluttershy are still friends. You've just got more important things to be doing with your time these days."

Applejack was silent.

"Anyways, I wish you luck with your apples!" He winked. "I guess I can't mill about any longer. I gotta deliver these books to Twilight and help her with some alchemic theorem." He shuffled off. "Zoopage!"

Clearing her throat, Applejack looked after the dragon. "Say... uh... Spike?"

He turned to look back at her. "Yeah?"

"It's not that I dun like hangin' out with y'all..." She fidgeted a bit where she stood. "I've just got... stuff to work on right now, y'know? Once everythang's all squared away, then it'll go back to normal—for all of us! You'll see!"

"Sweet!" He grinned wide. "Do you need help with the stuff you're working on?"

"... ... ...I dun rightly think any of y'all can help me, Spike."

"Ohhhhh... well..." He kicked lightly at the ground. "You do what you need to do, I guess. But if you ever need or want a helping claw—"

"I know who to turn to."

"And how!" He waved and waddled off. "See ya!"

She waved back, but he had already turned to walk off. She stood in place with a lump forming in her throat. Closing her eyes, Applejack turned to the cart and muttered to herself.

"Eyes front. Focus on what's important. The rest of them can come later." She sighed, ears drooping. "The rest can come later..."

With weighted hooves, she hitched herself to the wagon...

...and slowly pulled it to her homestead under a setting sun.

Sweet Apple Ecstasy

"Httt!" Applejack struck an apple tree in broad daylight. Apples fell into a basket. Wiping sweat from her brow, she turned to push the basket over towards a wagon.

She wasn't alone today. It was a bright, breezy afternoon. Big Macintosh worked on a row of trees nearby. Granny Smith and Apple Bloom hung out on the front porch to the farm house, working on a knitted quilt.

In the middle of shoving a basket, Applejack inexplicably stopped in place. She gazed far down the line of orchards... contemplatively.

Spike's words swirled in her mind from the day before... as did Rarity's words from days previous.

The farm was going down hill, and soon she and her family would either have to take extreme measures... or simply give up everything.

But was that any reason for turning her back on her friends? For living alone under the shadow of her own concerns?

Big Macintosh looked bright and healthy. No doubt the presence of Fluttershy in his life had made his daily existence a hundred times rosier. Granny Smith had her own inner peace that she channeled into the hardships of every day. Apple Bloom looked no worse for wear—savoring and celebrating the vigor of youth.

Every way Applejack looked at it, the only pony suffering was herself. There was a reason for this—she knew. Somepony made a promise long ago. A sacrament conjured in the dim shadow of granite. She had kept to her promise for so long, but how was that helping her? And if she lived up to that promise... would she be honoring them?

The feather in her hat practically stabbed at her by now. She felt like she was going to collapse under the weight of it. She needed release. She needed salvation. She needed...

"Folks...?" It was a whimper at first, foalish and desperate. It barely registered beneath the gusts of cool wind flowing over the farm. So, clearing her throat, she tried yet again to summon her family. "Folks—!"

"Hey! Sis!" Apple Bloom's voice suddenly echoed over the central front lawn of the farmstead. Applejack—in her self-imposed limbo—hadn't even noticed that she had scampered off. "Heeeeeey Applejack!"

Applejack blinked. She and Big Mac turned towards the country road leading up to the front of Sweet Aple Acres.

There—resting before the old gate—was an opulent stage coach with silver-studded wheels. Two stallion chauffers—both neatly groomed—stood within the reins of the vehicle. What's more, a finely-suited stallion with a briefcase balanced over his flank was trotting up towards the household, being escorted by a briskly-scampering Apple Bloom.

Applejack squinted in abject confusion. Granny Smith's random outburst shook her in her place.

"Who in tarnation is that? Filthy?"

Big Mac was studying the stallion from afar. "Eenope."

"Sis!" Apple Bloom wheezed, smiling jubilantly. She skidded to a stop and pointed behind her. "We've got a visitor! He says he's got good news for us!"

Applejack instantly shifted into "big sister" mode. "Apple Bloom. What've I told you time and time again about talkin' to strangers?"

The stallion spoke up in an eastern aristocratic accent. "Miss Applejack, I do apologize for the intrusion." He put on a dashing smile, bowed, and stood back up. "But your daughter is correct. I've come to speak to the Apple Family about a business prospect."

"Uhm..." Applejack cleared her throat above the chuckles of Big Mac and Granny Smith. "She ain't my daughter."

"Oh, my apologies. No offense intended, Miss Applejack."

"And none taken." Applejack squinted out one eye. "Wait. How come you don't know who Apple Bloom is and yet you know my name?"

"I was sent to speak to you specifically," the stallion explained. "My name is Winter Green, and I'm a messenger on behalf of the East Trottingham Company. I was sent personally by the head of the organization, Fancy Pants, to give you this." He produced an envelope and held it out.

"Uhm..." Applejack leaned back cautiously, eyeing the parchment. "I... I-I can't imagine what this could be about. Sweet Apple Acres hasn't done any business with no 'Fancy Pants.'"

The stallion merely smiled. "Well, you just might want to after reading this."

Suddenly, Granny Smith was standing right beside Applejack. "Just open it, darlin'."

Applejack protested: "But Granny—"

"Shhhh..." Granny calmly exhaled. "We talked about this, didn't we? Any opportunity is a good opportunity."

With a defeated sigh, Applejack took the envelope and briskly opened it. "Alright, then..."

Her grandmother and brother leaned in, squinting to read the contents. Apple Bloom hopped and hopped in place, desperate to see. "What's it say? What's it say?"

Applejack was in a numb state. Her mind had barely registered the ornately scribbled words on the page—aside from "business" and "purchase" and "apple supply." Her muzzle hung open more and more. "It... it..." Her eyes fell hard onto the bottom lines where a starting bid had been splayed out, bold and big. "It says..."

"My vision's all confoundedly blurry," Granny Smith stammered. Her pupils shook in place. "Is... that as many zeroes as I think it is?"

Big Mac was the first one to celebrate, barking jubilantly: "Eeyup Eeyup Eeeyup!"

"This... this c-can't be real..." Applejack felt trembles overwhelming her. She looked up at Winter Green. "He... he wants our apples?" A hard blink. "For the next twenty seasons?"

The stallion chuckled warmly. "If you show an interest in this venture, then Mr. Fancy Pants offers to meet with you to speak about it a week from now. Be it his mansion in Trottingham or here in Sweet Apple Acres, he's left the choice up to you—"

"Oh yes! Yes!" Applejack threw herself forward and drew the gasping stallion into a freckled bear hug. "Here! There! Anywhere!" She dropped him and spun to grin at her family. "Ya hear that?! We're back in business, y'all!"

"Woohooo!" Granny Smith waddled over and gave a random tree a huge, epic, geriatric kick. "Darn tootin'!"

"Eeeeyup!"

"Yeeehaaa! Ha ha ha ha!" Applejack scooped Apple Bloom in a hug—a hug that was eventually devoured by Big Mac's huge limbs. Soon Granny Smith joined in and the squeeing could not be dammed.

"Yaaay!" Apple Bloom squirmed in the middle of the family embrace. "Things are all happy n'stuff!"

"They sure are, Apple Bloom..." Applejack smiled at Granny Smith. She looked towards the hilltop, and the once-opaque stones blurred beyond earnest tears. "They sure are..."

Warmer Currents

Applejack simply sat in the family room easy chair... holding the gold-embossed letter from Fancy Pants in her hooves.

Smiling.

In the meantime—across the hearth-lit domain—the rest of the Apple Family paced and squirmed and chatted and chatted and—

"Woohoo!" Apple Bloom hopped up and down. "We're gonna sell a buncha apples! We're gonna sell a buncha apples! We're gonna—" She paused, floating back down to the rug with crossed eyes. "Wait a minute." She stared at Granny Smith and Big Macintosh with a scrunched muzzle. "Were we ever not gonna sell a buncha apples?"

"Errrrr..." Big Mac rubbed the back of his neck, fidgeting slightly. "Uhhhhh..."

"Let's just say we were saved from some mighty embarrassin' pitfalls at the last second, lil hayseed." Granny Smith reached out and carressed the filly's bow with a wrinkled fetlock. She winked and smiled. "But all's breezy in the bonnet now."

"Eeyup!" Big Mac smiled crookedly.

"Oh. Okay." Apple Bloom smiled perkily. "Is Diamond Tiara's daddy still a jerk?"

"Darn tootin' he is!" Granny Smith said, stomping her forelimbs.

Big Mac chuckled.

"But... we's forgivin' folk..." Granny Smith fluffed her mane with a dignified upturn of her chin. "Not to mention mighty professional too. Even still..." There was a briefly dangerous glint in her eyes. "I'll be rearin' to spit in his eye if he so happens to look at me the wrong way next time we cross paths in the marketplace."

"Awwww, Granny! How could you say that?" Apple Bloom merely smirked. "Soon, we'll be rich enough that we can hire other ponies in town to spit into his eye for us!"

"Heheheh... eeeeyup."

"Dun encourage the little'un, Big Mac."

"Just who is this 'Fancy Pants' anyways?" Apple Bloom wriggled happily in place, eyes bright. "The letter says he's from Trottingham! Does that mean we gotta move the whole farm?"

"Heavens to betsy, no!" Granny Smith retorted. "It's just that some hoity toity stallion with a lick of good business sense wants to buy our apples! Now who's complainin' about that? Sure as Tartarus ain't yer ol' Granny!"

"Trottingham ain't exactly a wagon ride away," Big Mac muttered.

"You listened when AJ read the letter, didn't ya?" Granny Smith remarked. "They's gonna take our harvest east by train!"

"Wowiee! By train?" Apple Bloom grinned wide. "Not even our patented zap-apple jam gets to be shipped by train!"

"Yer right! Sure is special, ain't it, darlin'?"

"Y'know what this means?" Big Macintosh grinned wide. "Less wagon-haulin' across the valley means less wasted time! We could get a lot more done around the farm!"

"Abso-posi-tively!"

"Maybe even hire a few other ponies to help us put up a new barn or two!" Big Mac sat up with a perky expression. "Shucks... we could plant a whole new field towards the south! Expand our produce!"

"One thang at a time, Big Mac. We're still riding the wave of this here good news. Let's not get in over our heads, now..."

The entire time, Applejack listened with a warm expression. She found herself staring at the rest of her family, and she was more than a little bit misty-eyed. A tingly weight was pulling her forward off the chair. So—clearing her throat—she folded the letter up neatly, placed it on the table, and took a few steps.

"Listen, y'all... things are lookin' up all of a sudden, and I feel like somethin' needs to be said..."

"Ah jeez..." Apple Bloom winced immediately. "We're gonna get lectured, ain't we?"

Big Mac rolled his eyes, smirking out the side of his muzzle. "Eeeyupppp."

"Oh go blow yer nose." Applejack briefly frowned. "I'm gonna make it short. It's just..." She clenched her teeth slightly, then proceeded cautiously, one word at a time. "... ... ...I feel like I've been awfully... short with y'all lately." She gulped. "Or so none-present that I haven't had a single word to say edgewise at any given time of the day the past week or so..."

"You've been dealing with a lot of stress lately, AJ," Granny Smith said in a gentle tone. "Nopony's gonna blame you."

"Yeah..." Apple Bloom nodded. "It's okay, sis—"

"I'm afraid I dun agree." Applejack shook her head. "And I hate myself somethin' awful that it has to take wild'n'crazy moments like this... truly warm and golden moments... when I feel the pressure to actually say something."

"Like what?" Big Mac asked.

"That..." Applejack sniffled. Her lower lip quivered. "...y'all mean so very much to me. I work so hard because I want the best for everypony... and it blesses my heart so much to know that I've still got the whole lot of y'all to lean on. To talk with every day. To eat breakfast with. To hug... to nuzzle..."

"Awwwwwwwwww..." Big Mac was the first to trot over. He brought Applejack in with a mighty forelimb, nuzzling her close. "...little Freckle Sis..."

Apple Bloom giggled. "Little 'Freckle Sis?'"

"Hah!" Granny Smith trotted over. "Now there's something I haven't heard in years!"

"Whatever." Apple Bloom shrugged. "Cute enough!" She jumped into the warm center of the room. "Family hug time!"

"Oh gosh dang it..." Applejack sniffled again as she felt the forelimbs enclosing her. She clenched her moist eyes shut above a quivering smile. "I didn't mean to ask for a cuddle puddle or nothin'—"

"No shame in admittin' how much you love yer family," Granny Smith said. "Good times or bad. Cuz—Celestia knows—in and out of the tide, I love y'all just as much back."

"I'm so plum happy to have you looking after us, AJ!" Apple Bloom said.

"Eeeeeeeeeyup."

Applejack stifled a whimper. Closing her eyes, she let loose of the moment and...

...drifted in the soothing currents of their breaths.

Fancy

"Hrmmmm..." Granny Smith squirmed, squatting awkwardly on the front deck surrounding the outer circumference of Ponyville City Hall. "I'm feelin' downright ramshackled. All... buttons and bobby pins..."

"Yer blouse is fine, Granny." Applejack winked aside. She and Big Macintosh stood with the elder mare in the bright afternoon light. Their coats and manes had been freshly-washed and shampoo'd that morning, and there was an extra shine to their hooves. "I'd say you was lookin' shinier than a harvest apple in spring. We all are."

"Hrmmm... still, I coulda done better." Granny's wrinkled lips pursed. "Shoulda put on my bonnet."

"Granny, you are wearin' yer bonnet," Applejack said, smirking.

Big Mac snorted. "Heheh... eeeeyup."

"Hrmmff!" Granny folded her forelimbs. "Well, I hope it's all worth it. These Trottingham types can sure be snobbish and choosy. I hate to make him turn his nose and waltz back the way he came."

"He's already made it clear he wants to do business with us, Granny." Applejack took a deep breath, tilting her hat back slightly. "Only proper that we meet face to face. Y'know... to make it all professional-like."

"You sure this was his idea?"

"Yes. And I'm all for it," Applejack said. "Sure is refreshin' to know that business stallions out there actually wish to be personable." Her smile faded momentarily. "Seems to be a sentiment that Filthy Rich is losing by the month."

"Eeeeeeeeeeyup," Big Macintosh exhaled.

"Ain't it silly?" Granny Smith tiredly blinked. "The way of thangs? When yer lookin' towards the top, you forget the folks who made you what you are. But when you're already at the top of the mountain, you have no choice but to look down. Reconsider thangs."

"I like to think that this Fancy Pants feller had it all together in the long run."

"Well... I'll reserve my judgment for when I actually see the whippersnapper."

"He's a multi-millionaire, Granny. I doubt he's a whippersnapper."

"Well, you gotta snap a lotta whip to make a bit these days!"

"Do me a favor, Granny."

"Yuh-huh...?"

"... ... ...let me do the talkin'."

"Hmmmf! Fine." Granny Smith smirked bitterly. "For a moment there, I was gonna force Big Mac."

"Eenope!"

"There'll come a day, sonny boy, you'll see."

"Eenope—!"

"Shhhh!" Applejack insisted. "Quiet, y'all! Here he comes!"

"How do you know?"

The farm mare pointed. "You see that stagecoach?"

"It's just a stagecoach, Applejack—"

"But this one's got silver wheels!"

"Well glaze my galloshes!" Granny Smith stood up straight. "That's definitely Frilly Pantaloons in the flesh!"

"Fancy Pants—ugh—this is why I should do the talkin'!"

"Why? What did I say?"

"Shhhhh!" Big Mac insisted, then stood tall as if he was a soldier about to be inspected.

The three Apples watched as the stagecoach in question rolled to a stop. It was being drawn by four freshly-groomed chauffers. Once it stopped, the foremost right stallion unhitched himself, brushed off his suit, then trotted briskly around to the door.

Applejack and her family watched with baited breaths.

The stagecoach opened, and the first thing they heard was the familiar voice of Mayor Mare.

"Ah ha ha! You're too flattering!" She stepped down, fluffing her mane as she glanced inside the stagecoach. "If you must know, it's imported dye from Saddle Arabia. But I most certainly wouldn't mind trying out Trottingham's finest." She took one look at the Apples and grinned. "Oh! Apple Smith! Applejack! You didn't have to wait outside! The lobby would have been fine!"

"Dun mind us." Applejack tipped the brim of her hat. "We're in our element here in the sunshine. Bein' that we're apple farmers and all, seemed only fitting that we present ourselves as honestly as possible."

"Ah! But of course! Uhm..." The Mayor stepped aside, gesturing towards the stagecoach. "Well, here's our beloved guest—just as I promised!"

It was then that a stately stallion trotted out. He possessed an alabaster coat and a healthy build. Both his mane and mustache were slick and glossy, and he wore a shiny silk suit jacket. He stood in place, kneading his manicured hooves in the Ponyville dirt, and inhaled the afternoon air. When he exhaled, it was through a charming grin, and his monocle glinted to punctuate his exuberant tone.

"Ahhhhhh...! Rustic to the last! The scent of country hay and generations of corn-shucking! I positively relish it!" He looked down at the Mayor and winked. "You, dear madame, do not disappoint."

The Mayor giggled like a schoolgirl, fanned herself slightly, then coughed it off. "Yes... well... I'm certainly more than a little bit proud of our... corn-shucking ways. Ahem." She gestured at the deck of the building. "Fancy Pants, if I may introduce you to the Apple family."

"My word!" He adjusted his monocle to get a better glance at them. "All present and accounted for?"

"Not includin' Apple Bloom, our young'n," Applejack said with a freckled smile. "She's off doin' her learnin' at school."

"Yes. Quite." Fancy Pants bowed low. "Forgive my casual dialogue upon arrival. I assumed that we would be meeting indoors."

"We ain't exactly the indoorsy type. Harder to buck apples with a roof over yer head."

"Ha Hah!" Fancy Pants stepped closer. "No doubt. But you needn't impress me with the nature of yer hard work." He smiled, standing before the three. "I've agreed to this venture upon the recommendation of very believable sources."

"Really?" Applejack tilted her head to the side. "Like who?"

Fancy Pants leaned forward, whispering. "Some of the best gifts in life come anonymously."

Applejack blinked at that.

"Applejack, I presume..."

"Erm... yes. Yes sir." She took her hat off and curtsied slightly. "Happy to be of service."

"Even happier to be acquainted." Fancy Pants looked almost eye-to-eye with Big Mac. "Big Macintosh in the flesh, no doubt."

"Eeyup."

"Stallion of few words, yes?"

"Heheh... eeyup."

Fancy Pants reached forward to shake Macintosh's fetlock. "Must be true words, then." He then turned towards the elder. "And you must be Apple Smith."

"Darn tootin', I am!" Granny Smith tilted her chin back slightly. "And while I've never been to Trottingham proper myself, I must say that I've known many fine unicorns from that neck of the woods—" She blinked in surprise.

Fancy Pants had gently taken her fetlock for a gentlecoltly kiss. Afterwards, he smiled. "And I've known many an exceptional, hard-working earth pony from all across Equestria. Sincere salt of the earth... and they only become more marvelous with age. Like fine wine." He leaned back. "It is an absolute pleasure to meet you, madame. I look forward to our future business arrangements."

"Er... yes... " Granny Smith coughed out the side of her muzzle, blushing noticeably through her wrinkles. "Charmed and all that mess..."

Applejack struggled hard not to face-hoof.

"I have a meeting room set up inside!" Mayor Mare said. "Just for you!" She smiled. "I've known the Apple Family all my life, and nothing brings me greater satisfaction than to facilitate a place of discussion for you."

"Smashing! And perhaps later on, I can see more of your fine town!"

"Heehee... perhaps so!"

"Indeed. Right..." Fancy Pants smiled at the group as a whole. "...shall we begin?"

Gift Horses and Such

"Ten seasons?!?" Applejack leaned back, blinking.

Fancy Pants casually looked up from his open briefcase full of notes. "Why... yes." He smirked slightly, raising a hoof. "Is that a problem, Miss Applejack?"

"Well, no, just..." Applejack stood up. With her grandmother and brother watching, she paced around the wood-furnished meeting room. "Heavens to betsy... we've only met today, and yet... yet..." She swiveled to face the gentlecolt head-on. "Yer willin' to put that much faith in our crops for ten seasons worth of harvestin'?"

"Dun rock the boat on smoothe waters, apple seed..." Granny Smith uttered the the side of her muzzle.

"Ha ha! I see your humility becomes you!" Fancy Pants said.

"No it doesn't!" Applejack stomped her hoof. She blinked. "Er..." She looked nervously at Big Macintosh. "Does it?"

"Miss Applejack..." Fancy Pants stood up, brushing off his jacket vest. "Simply put, you and your family are the finest harvesters of apple produce in the Heartland. It's something built out of sincerity, tradition, and multiple generations of loyalty."

"Heheh..." Big Mac smiled wide. "Eeeyup."

"And it so happens that the biggest business deal of my career hinges on the trade of said apple produce with the residents of Granite Mountain. From what I understand, you currently do not have a steady buyer of your fruit."

"Well, no. Reckon we don't."

"Well, bully!" Fancy Pants smiled wide. "After having sampled some of your freshly-plucked delicacies, I must say that the buffalo of Granite Mountain are entitled to exceptional quality food! And—from what I now fully understand—they can be supplemented in quantity as well! The way I see it, it's a win-win-win scenario! And the records that your fine Mayor has kept maintains that you and your family are certifiably consistent with your harvests. So—I see no reason why not to commit for such an extended period! To tell the truth, these sorts of long-term deals aren't exactly uncommon where I come from. I actually considered discussing a twenty season agreement, but I did not want to make you overcommit so soon."

"Twenty... s-seasons...?" Big Mac managed to stammer.

"We can definitely partner up with you for ten seasons, Mr. Pants," Applejack said.

"Please, just 'Fancy' will do."

Applejack smiled delicately. "Twenty seasons would be no problem, neither. I'm just..." She bit the edge of her lip. "...I can't help but wonder just where you got this sample from. I mean—who referred you to us? How did you know that we was starvin' for a new business partner?"

"Who cares?!?" Granny Smith rocked forward jubilantly in her seat. "Ten seasons?! Twenty?! Sign us up! Where's the pen?"

"Granny—" Applejack reached out.

Fancy Pants chuckled. "Please..." He held his fetlock up. "I do not mean to rush you." He nodded at Applejack. "In this day and age, I don't blame you for having reservations. If this agreement seems overtly fortuitous to you, then I am happy to have opened the door. But you have my word that there is no catch and we have no desire—nor means—of taking advantage of your good faith." He smiled, adjusting his monocle. "Ask any pony in the financial circles. Not that I mean to brag, but my reputation for honesty precedes itself. You can start with inquiring of your fine Mayor."

"Well..." Applejack chuckled slightly. "If there's anythang I respect, it's honesty."

"Yes. Quite."

"So... that's where I'm gettin' hung up on the fact that you're here in the first place." Applejack blinked. "Who exactly pointed you in our direction? I mean... I-I'm grateful... but it's all so sudden!" Her pupils shrank. Ears flattening, she looked nervously across the room. "It... it wasn't Filthy Rich himself, was it?"

"No, madame, it was not."

"You know Filthy?" Granny Smith asked.

"Indeed I do. Enough to know that he makes brash decisions that end up hurting himself and those who are connected to him—financially and domestically."

"Hmmmmmmmm..." Applejack hummed.

Fancy Pants momentarily removed his monocle. "Miss Applejack... you have my word... this agreement has nothing to do with Filthy Rich... nor was it remotely his idea in any form."

"Then... why can't you tell us what brought you here?" Applejack asked.

"Because, my little pony..." Fancy Pants smiled gently, placing the monocle back in place. "Honesty is divine... but integrity more so. I made a promise to someone... and now I am here to help you help me... with the end goal being our integral assistance of one another. Must we soil the matter with arbitrary illumination?"

Applejack fidgeted. She felt a tickle against her scalp, and she pulled her hat tight. "No sir. I reckon that..." She smiled back, exhaling warmly. "...reckon we should just pull the cart along."

Golden

"I must say, Miss Applejack..." Fancy Pants trotted leisurely down a row of orchards. It was later in the afternoon, and the gentlecolt had followed the family back to Sweet Apple Acres. Presently, the well-suited stallion was squinting into the bright sunlight reflecting off the verdant treetops. "This land is beautiful. Most beautiful. You and your lovely family should be proud."

"Heheh..." Applejack smiled. "Darn tootin' I am."

"I cannot pretend to say that I know anything about the finer arts of exercising a green hoof..." He brushed his hoof through low-hanging leaves from a branch or two. "...but I'm a firm believer that a farmer's land is an extension of her or his spirit. And—if you ask me..." He swiveled to face her, smiling. "Your spirit soars."

"All the credit doesn't go to me, Mr.... erm... Fancy." Applejack looked towards the farmhouse. Winona's barks could be heard, along with Apple Bloom's giggling voice. The filly and the dog chased each other while Big Macintosh and Granny Smith stood chatting on the front porch. "This land—and everythang you see here—is the result of my folks' hard work."

"I... erhm..." Fancy Pants took a deep breath. "I presume I saw them up on the hill as we arrived."

Applejack gulped. "That's right."

"A most handsome resting place." He nodded. "I suspect they were the heart of Ponyville as well, to some degree."

Applejack narrowed her eyes at him. "... ... ...how much did Mayor Mare tell you?"

"Hmmmm..." An elegant smile formed under his monocle. "...about as much as you would expect. Perhaps more so. And yet—in each and every word—professed to the highest degree of respect and admiration." He dabbed his forehead as bulbs of sweat formed in the hot sun. "A lucky few of us sire more than just children. Communities are like foals—in a way—and no less precious."

"Are... are ya burnin' up?" Applejack gestured nervously towards the house. "Cuz we can take the tour inside if ya like! Let y'all cool down—"

"Heheh..." He waved a dismissive hoof. "I can stand a little heat, Miss Applejack. And if you're worried about my jacket—perish the thought. I admit with very little pride that I have far more where that came from." He glanced off down the orchards. "The benefit of owning three separate stallion outfitting chains."

"I just wanna make sure that yer comfortable during yer visit and—"

"Please, Miss Applejack." He looked at her squarely. "From now on, I must humbly request you refrain from treating me as though I am some sort of divine member of royalty. The fact that I am an affluent businessstallion should have no bearing on the respect that I deserve from you or anypony else. And—as for our current venture—it would be more proper to think of me as a partner." He winked, smiling. "Which is precisely what I am."

Applejack gulped. "Okay..." She nodded, smiling through her freckles with relief. "...partner."

"Haha! Smashing!" He slicked his mane back and grinned into the sunlight. "How I do adore that countrified drawl! That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Heh... I reckon not..."

"I'm positively charmed to be here, my little pony." He took a deep breath, admiring the rows upon rows of apple trees. "In the heart of such rugged industry."

Applejack kicked at the blades of grass beneath them with an almost foalish gesture. "Erhm... Fancy Pants? If ya dun mind me askin' you a rather strange question?"

"Well, I do believe I have eloquently disassembled the walls of social pretense between us, my dear." He nevertheless straightened his monocle and regarded her curiously. "By all means, do fire away."

"I can't say that I've ever met much rich city folk so plum interested in farmin' life down here in the heart of Equestria. How come yer just so... so...?"

"What?" He raised an eyebrow. "Talkative?"

She smiled. "I was gonna say somethin' stupider."

"I highly doubt that. Go on and say it."

"Yer just so... so..." Applejack fidgeted. "...friendly-like." She winced even as she said it. "I mean... on top of the willingness you've shown in investin' in us, it's not what I expected at all."

Fancy Pants leaned back. "Am I to guess correctly that your only connection to wealthy ponies is Filthy Rich?"

"Now dun get me wrong..." Applejack waved a hoof. "He's done amazin' thangs for the family. He's bailed us out of multiple kefluffles—some more or less money-related—and he's spread news of our cider and zap-apple jam near and far. On top of that, he's been a long-time friend of Granny Smith and the rest of the Apple family... it's just..." She blew out the side of her muzzle. "...I guess some thangs change. Maybe he's havin' troubles of his own. It's hard to say."

"Even in spite of your recent turmoil, you are willing to forgive him?" Fancy Pants asked.

Applejack blinked, not expecting that statement. "Well... uhm... the Riches go way back with the Apples. They're part of how we got started with the apple-harvestin' in the first place. Sweet Apple Acres and Barnyarn Bargains used to be like peas and carrots. So... I guess in more ways than I can count... we're like family." She gulped. "And it's hard not to forgive family, even when things get ugly."

Fancy Pants nodded thoughtfully. "Your empathy is a very strong fruit indeed."

"Heh..." Applejack bore a bashful smile. "That's one way of puttin' it."

Fancy Pants paced around a tree, occasionally feeling its bark with his hoof. "I would love... absolutely love to prattle on and on about how much of a financial genius I am. I've done some ambassadorial duty for Equestria on the side. Even dabbled in politics a bit." He turned to squint at her. "Did you know I once convinced an entire tribe of diamond dogs to trade with the Commerce Department of Canterlot?"

"Well, shoot..." Applejack blinked. "That sounds plum amazin'. You could write a book on that!"

"Well, one that's unfinished, sadly... but..." He waved his hoof between them. "I'm getting off topic. A thousand apologies."

"S'all good."

He paced towards her. "Fact of the matter is... none of my skills could have made as much an impact on this world that they did... if it weren't for the lofty position from which I first embarked upon my illustrious career."

"I... I don't follow."

"I'm talking about fortune, Miss Applejack," he said. "Something given me—provided me—by ponies far more gifted... and hardened by the struggles it took to establish such a lofty foundation to begin with."

Applejack's brows furrowed. "Yer talkin' about yer parents."

"Not all farms are mud and roots, my little pony." Fancy Pants leaned back, gesturing. "If it weren't for the lifelong business toils of my father—and the charming social connections of my mother—I would have stumbled upon this world a far poorer stallion, and I'd have accomplished far less. Instead, a great deal of the harvest was cultivated before my arrival. I simply took the seed that was given to me and planted it even deeper to spread the wealth. And while I have established a sizable name for myself, I owe it all to the ones who came before me. Much like you, my dear! I greatly suspect we both possess an openness of mind to understand this... and respect it."

Applejack nodded. "Reckon so..."

"Thus... I cannot for the life of me fathom treating those around me with a dismissive attitude. So much has been given to me... and it's up to ponies like myself to give back. We live such precious, fragile lives. Why add stress and pressure, unecessarily? Harmony is something we must work for—whether we were raised with rustic barns or silver spoons." He smiled, winking. "Partners, yes?"

"Heheh... sure..." Applejack nodded. "That's a refreshin' perspective."

"One that you needn't be preached to about." He chuckled good-naturedly. "Forgive me if I wax poetic on occasion. Simply put..." He cleared his throat and stated: "The Golden Rule applies... no matter what trot of life you come from or endeavor to reach."

Applejack breathed in. "I hear ya."

"Indeed."

Silence.

"Would..." Applejack smiled, glancing at the farmhouse where the family was gathered, then back at him. "...would you like to sample some of our product...?"

Delicious

"Mmmmm!" Fancy Pants sat at the end of the kitchen table with a scrumptious expression across his muzzle. He finished nibbling on the apple slice and dabbed his chin with a napkin. "Most exquisite! A fine delicacy!"

"Pffft! Delicacy?" Apple Bloom leaned up to the edge of the table, perpendicular to the rich house guest. "Ya mean you've never had apple slices packed in yer school lunch before??"

"Apple Bloooooom..." Applejack growled slightly from the opposite end of the kitchen.

"Haha!" Fancy Pants waved a hoof. "No offense taken. Young filly..." He leaned down so he was staring squarely with the little crusader. "...when I went to preparatory school—believe me—I wished I could share in the pleasures of such sweet tasty treats! What you might consider average is—to me—a little slice of heaven. No pun intended."

"Wow..." Apple Bloom blinked. "I didn't know that home-grown fruit was such a rarity in hoity-toity places."

Applejack winced again.

Fancy Pants merely smiled. "My dear, in hoity toity places... things aren't usually crafted from the heart. Nor..." He took another slice from his plate and savored it. "Mmmmm... are they quite so deliciously prepared." He squinted through his monocle at Applejack across the way. "And you're certain this is from a random batch?"

"Darn tootin'." Applejack trotted over with a fresh plate of sliced apples. "Fresh off the wagon, too. My brother and I have learned ourselves a mighty reliable method of pickin' bad apples out of the bunch. Although... heheh... to be honest, t'ain't much that needs bein' thrown out of the harvest in the long run."

"Except when it's vampire fruit bat season!" Apple Bloom said.

Applejack face-hoofed.

"I beg your pardon?" Fancy Pants blinked. "Fruit... vampire... what?"

"Ahem. T'ain't for a month or two, now." Applejack turned to frown at Apple Bloom. "And we know how to handle 'em when they show up!"

"I'm afraid I dun follow..."

"Oooh!" Apple Bloom hopped in place. "Vampire fruit bats show up every once in a while and they lurve to suck our crops dry! It's always an adventure gettin' them to shoo away from the orchards!" She grinned. "Last year, Granny and Big Mac used a catapult!"

"My word!"

"But... we've succeeded in gettin' them to high-tail it out of here," Applejack said nervously. "And without harmin' them none too! Ma and Pa? Back in the day they had a harvest or two ruined, but not us! We get help from the whole town if we have to. We never let 'em ruin the crops too bad so dun you worry—"

"Miss Applejack, relax." Fancy Pants waved a hoof. "I believe you. If you must know, I do understand 'pests.'" He smiled. "The financial circles are known to suffer a 'vampire' or two from time to time. It's called 'insider trading.' And—believe you me—I only wish we could... 'shoo away' those cretins with nearly as much ease."

"Heh... I'll take yer word for it."

"As well as you should. And—also..." He tilted his head slightly. "...if the vermin prove to be too bothersome in the future... by all means! Let me know and I shall fully support a pest control team to come and help you fend the little buggers off. After all..." He munched on another apple slice, swallowed, and breathed: "No need in both of us suffering needlessly, eh?"

"Heheheh..." Applejack chuckled, her freckles warming. "Nosiree, partner!"

"Splendid! You'll know where to write me!"

"Do you really live in Canterlot?" Apple Bloom spontaneously asked.

"My little pony, I work in Canterlot. But my home is in Trottingham." Fancy Pants glanced around the kitchen walls. "Sometimes, though, I wonder how enthralling it must be for your workplace and your home to be one in the same. But—then again—perhaps I am most fortunate."

"Ever gone to work in Manehattan?"

"Countless times!"

Apple Bloom hopped in place. "We've got an Aunt and Uncle who live and work in Manehattan! The Oranges! Ever heard of them?"

"Heh... can't say that I have, my dear. What are their profession?"

"A bunch of super stuffy paperwork stuff." Apple Bloom's muzzle twisted. "Granny says they like to rob ponies blind... but only because other ponies have been robbed before."

"Ahem..." Applejack leaned in towards Fancy Pants. "They're solicitors," she whispered.

"Ah." Fancy Pants nodded. "Your grandmother is quite on point."

"Snkkkt..."

"We've got a photo album, Mr. Pants. Would you like to see pictures of them?!"

"I would love nothing better!"

"Neato! Wait here!" And Apple Bloom scampered away.

"Eheheh..." Applejack shuffled up a chair and sat perpendicular to the gentlecolt. "She gets mighty excited-like when we've got a new visitor here on the farm."

"Mmmmm... I gathered." Fancy Pants levitated another apple slice, gazing towards the living room. "She seems to respect her elders."

"Well, we raised her right."

"Indeed." Fancy Pants nodded. "A lucky filly."

"I'd like to think so." Applejack breathed. "Tough enough as it is to get by without her folks."

He ate the apple slice, swallowed, and added: "I'd say that's half true."

Applejack blinked. She raised an eyebrow in Fancy's direction.

"Why..." He looked knowingly at her. "...she does have a mother-figure in her life, does she not?"

Silence.

"I... erm..." Applejack cleared her throat and stared off. "I wouldn't know much about that."

"Of course you would. Don't sell yourself short, my dear. You've accomplished an awful lot in spite of limiting circumstances."

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Fancy Pants gestured. "You're the veritable backbone of this family. I see a piece of you in everything that thrives here."

"But... but Granny—"

"The foundation, no doubt. The inspiration and the grit, for sure. But you—my dear—are a force to be reckoned with." He adjusted his jacket and sat comfortably, gazing at her. "Even your older brother—a mountain of a stallion—needs something to lean on. You are that very weight, I suspect. You have been for a long time."

Applejack gazed down through the table.

Fancy Pants cocked his head to the side. "... ... ...is this something you're not actually proud of?"

"No sense in bein' proud over something that ain't quite so straight yet."

"The motivation of a hard worker." Fancy Pants nodded. "But you must find inspiration somewhere."

"Mmmmm..." Applejack straightened her hat, silencing the tickling sensation from underneath. She looked out the kitchen window to where the base of a hill began its upward slope into shadow. "Once in a while..."

"I can't imagine any of it has been easy."

She gulped. "N-no..." Her voice was shaky. "Reckon it hasn't."

"Well..." Fancy Pants smiled. "I suspect it's about to get a great deal easier."

She looked at him.

He winked. "But don't let that mean you can work any less hard. We are in a business arrangement now, after all..."

"Heheheh..." She rubbed her cheek, blinking her eyes dry. "Right."

"Good things come to those who stick their muzzle to the grindstone," Fancy Pants said. "That's what I've always believed."

"Somethin' you've learned from experience?"

"Yes—but I'd be lying if I said that most of it hasn't been from osmosis as of late. So... as you can see... humility is a thing we all practice. And you—my dear—could probably use a vacation."

"Nah..." Applejack shook her head. "I don't believe that for one second."

"No. Of course you wouldn't." Just then, the pitter-patter of hooves littered the air. Apple Bloom rushed in and slapped a humongous tome onto the table before Fancy Pants. "Good heavens!" He chuckled, beholding the immensity of the thing. "You must possess the bloody Book of Saros itself!"

"Heehee! Guess again!" Apple Bloom flung the thing open. "Look! It's Aunt and Uncle Orange! Just as I said! There they are by the Haydson River! Lookin' mighty sharp and purdy!"

"Ah! Living up to their names, I see."

"Nah, that's just the chemical fade on the photographic paper."

"They lived in Tartarus' Kitchen? When was this taken? Twenty years ago? Brave souls indeed..."

"But look! They moved uptown a bit! See?"

As Apple Bloom and Fancy Pants poured over the album...

...Applejack leaned back, watching the smiles on their faces... listening to the joyous lilt in their voices. She breathed... and they were warm breaths.

Are You Now, Applejack?

"I looked over them contracts left and right... backwards and forwards..." Granny Smith said, sitting in her rocking chair by the crackling hearth that night. She shook her wrinkly head. "I still can't believe it..."

"Hmmm?" Applejack looked up from where she sat across from the old mare. She had the family schedule book opened in her lap and was making notes on the next few weeks... harvest changes and the like. "What's not to believe anymore? You done signed yer name on the papers this afternoon."

"Somethin' must have happened... some... some harmonic divine providence, I tells ya..." Granny Smith sighed, staring into the fire. Crickets rang outside the front windows. Starlight glistened off the crisp lawn. "...downright flabbergasted."

"You..." Applejack squinted. "...you ain't havin' second thoughts now, are ya?"

"Heheheheh..." Granny Smith shook her head. "...nothin' of the sort! Just... plum blessed, is all..."

"Mmmmm..." Applejack nodded, flipping the pages in the schedule book. "Reckon we all are."

"How did it all begin, I wonder? I mean... who in the hay even pointed that Trottingham namby-pamby our way?"

"Granny... honestly..." Applejack sighed. "Could ya lean off the sissy insults? After all, he's our business partner now!"

"I know. I just... mrmmmgnnh..." Granny's jaw muscles tightened. "Old habits, darlin'. Them sort of folks was always difficult to trust back in my day."

"What about Filthy?" Applejack asked. "His folks were always sweatin' it in the Ponyville sun like us. Nothin' hoity-toity about them."

Granny nodded. "You make a point. Just... blasted me sideways that somepony from Canterlot could be so kind-hearted."

"It's Trottingham," Applejack corrected. "And kindness isn't as rare as you think it is. Just ask Fluttershy."

"Mmmm. Reckon so. Or ask Big Mac."

"Heheheheheheh..."

"Hyeh hyeh hyeh..."

"Heheh... hehhhhhhhhh..." Applejack sighed warmly, pouring over the dates and numbers. "Guess he got the honey-glow with good time."

"Seems to be a happy season for feelin'... happy." Granny Smith creaked in her rocking chair. "Didja see how beside herself with giggles Apple Bloom was today?"

"What? You mean with Fancy Pants visitin'?"

"Yup. Couldn't stop chattin' his ears off and showin' him family photos. Poor gentlecolt. He could barely get away before nighttime."

"He didn't seem to mind none, Granny."

"Well, sure. Nice stallion and all..." Granny Smith sighed. "Almost makes me wish we had visitors more often..."

"Yeah. Apple Bloom seems to take kindly to folks from outta town."

"T'ain't just that, AJ." Granny Smith stared firmly at her. "Poor lil' sprout could use a fatherly character in her life. It showed through all the seams today. Practically burstin'."

"Yeah, well..." Applejack flipped a page, breathing. "She could use a bit of everythang."

"Dun kid yerself. She's gotten all she needs from her Ma from you."

Applejack froze in place. She gazed across the room, her eyes absorbed in the flame.

"I ain't half as senile as ya thank I am, darlin'," Granny Smith said. "It felt awful heart-warmin' to you too, didn't it?"

Applejack took a deep breath. When she finally spoke, it was in a weathered, scratchy tone: "Like you wouldn't believe."

"Life ain't full of disappointment alone, AJ." Granny Smith bore a calm, wrinkly smile. "Yer at the right age. Yer health and contentment...? Yer downright irresistible to any self-respectin' stallion. Do ya think it's actually that impossible to find a pony yer age who would care for you and the farm just like you care for all of us? Look at Big Mac. He's found someone. I mean... sure... a few gabbin' noponies might call it puppy love... but not from where I'm sittin'. I've seen that kind of affection before..." She fought a sudden lump in her throat, then tenderly added: "And I would absolutely love for you to find it for yerself as well..."

Applejack clammed up. Her hat felt like it was miles away, although it rested squarely on her crown.

Granny Smith paused in rocking. She murmured: "I know yer not exactly chatty when it comes to—"

"The one thing I know, Granny..." Applejack looked across at her, eyes glossy. "...is that I don't know what I want... except what's best for this farm. And I aim to make it all right."

"And you are, darlin'? Right now... everythang is meetin' up all square..." Granny Smith leaned forward. "...so what's next?"

The pages shook in Applejack's grasp. She tried saying something, but could only shake her head. She sniffled, stuck in that spot.

On wobbly legs, Granny Smith stood up from the chair, shuffled over, and wrapped Applejack up in a tender hug. She nuzzled her neck, murmuring: "I just want to see you happy... I want to see all that's left of my little un's happy..."

"And I am, happy, Granny," Applejack murmured bag. Another sniffle, and she felt the feather once again—stabbing through the hat and soaring off again. She tried following it with her eyes, but all she saw were stars beyond the window, shooting away, growing more and more distant. "I am happy... I am... ... ...?"

Cradle It

Apple Bloom slept soundly.

Applejack made sure of this. She always did.

The mare stood in the doorframe to the filly's room, gazing inward with a soft expression.

Starlight drifted across the slumbering pony's form. Every evening—without fail—the little crusader fell asleep at almost the same time. There was little to no fussing... no struggling to stay awake... no after-midnight hijinks. All things considered, Apple Bloom was a well-behaved soul.

In a way, Applejack thought, her family was lucky. It was one of many blessings that she had forgotten to count as of late.

With a soft breath, she turned about and shuffled down the hall. She was feeling sleepy herself, but there was a detour to make before retiring for the evening.

A candle burned gently at Applejack's bedside.

The mare had a large book in her grasp—the very same photo album that Apple Bloom was sharing with Fancy Pants earlier that afternoon.

Lying in bed against a stack of pillows, Applejack flipped through the pages. Amber candle-light fell across amber sheets of photo-paper, yellow'd with time. Familiar faces graced Applejack's eyes... the faces of ponies who—while not forgotten—had certainly dwindled a bit outside the penumbra of her everyday contemplation.

With one flip of the page, Applejack was staring at Aunt and Uncle Orange. She saw images from the inside of an apartment loft overlooking the lower riverside streets. Her memory tickled with the furniture and chandeliers, all carrying a thousand scents rising with phantom earnest to her aged nose. A bevy of mental images flittered through her mind—like photographs themselves, but no less dated and fragile.

She flipped towards the far end of the book. There, she found a gallery of images from a family reunion in Manehattan. It was then that Applejack remembered she hadn't made only one trip to that large maretropolis. Yes, there was the summer she spent with her Aunt and Uncle Orange...

But there was also a time when she went with her family. It was before Apple Bloom was born. It was before Applejack understood tenderness... and loss.

Balanced across a beautiful mare's flank was a tiny sprout of a freckled filly. Applejack was ashamed to admit that she only instantly recognized one of the souls in that photograph. With a sour lump in her throat, she flipped the page... and there were a dozen more pictures—most of them forgotten—featuring two young adults with a little colt and an infant filly under their wing. No doubt Granny Smith had taken most of the photographs. Applejack could tell; each picture was tilted slightly to the right, matching the permanent lean of the apple matriarch's head. But each frame managed to catch the smiling muzzles of two young parents madly in love... madly alive.

Applejack flipped a page again.

This time, it was a group photo... the group photo. Every Apple who had shown up to the Oranges' place in Manehattan were situated together for a massive photoshoot. Applejack recognized many ponies. She recognized herself. She recognized Granny Smith.

And the two who stood off to the left...

With the stallion nuzzling the mare and the mare frozen in mid-giggle...

...Applejack recognized them too.

And yet, she saw them in a brand new light... with a warmth that was becoming eerily recognizable with each passing day. A warmth that Applejack had tasted of... and yet was slipping away.

If only she could capture it in a jar.

Fumbling—somewhat trembling—Applejack slithered out of bed and made her way to the vanity. She came back, cradling a feather. Then—with a soft exhale—she lay sideways on the bed, caressing the feather while gazing at the photo... at the happy couple... at the love and joy that emanated from their yellow'd figures.

She didn't think of an alleyway in Canterlot.

She didn't think of Fancy Pants' charming voice while humoring Apple Bloom.

In fact, Applejack didn't truly think much at all.

She felt.

The softness and the warmth...

...the open vessel of life, waiting to be filled with mirth and sincerity...

...there was no telling where it would come from, or if it would even cascade at all, but the waiting... the yearning... the very precipice of hope for the unquenchable nebulous desire to be fulfilled...

...it sustained her. Much like large, loving forelimbs had once cradled her. Like she now cradled the feather.

There were tears, but she didn't mind. She was a fleeting feeling—a spark that flittered and danced just like the candlelight. She might as well have been crying on the inside.

At some point, she fell asleep. An unbreakable smile ferried her to morning.

Apple Concentrate

Fluttershy took a sip of tea and leaned back. "Did this stallion say what he wanted the apples for?" Fluttershy asked.

"Hmmmmm..." Applejack adjusted the brim of her hat, staring up at the ceiling of Sugarcube Corner the next day. "Somethin' to do with a brand spankin' new trade route with these buffalo who live up in some place called Granite Mountain. Beats the heck out of me what Fancy Pants is wantin' to get out of such an exchange, but—shucks!" She leaned forward, smiling ecstatically at her companions gathered at the table. "If this gives me an opportunity to sell our apples to new ponyfolk beyond Canterlot, then I'm happy to have been signed up!"

"Well, of course Fancy Pants knows what he's doing!" Rarity exclaimed with a dramatic smile. "He's only the wealthiest, smartest, and most benevolent philanthropist in all of the East Territories! Not to mention exceedingly debonair and handsome." An airy chuckle and she smiled at her countrified friend. "If he has an eye for your produce, Applejack, then what's to say that he won't take a liking to other things to come out of Ponyville? Such as art! Crafts!"

"Or fashion, perhapssss?" Twilight smirked at the mare with a waggling eyebrow.

Rarity blushed into her teacup. "A mare can dream."

"Well, I for one think that this is the most fantastic news I've heard all week!" Twilight said with an excited lilt in her voice. "Heck, make that the whole month! It just... I don't know! It brightens my day! Heeheehee!"

"You think yer happy?!" Applejack winked. "Granny Smith's almost had three heart attacks in the last forty-eight hours, all from tryin' to jump for joy!"

"Oh goodness!" Fluttershy clasped her hooves together before her muzzle. "Is she okay?"

"Nothin' a little Sweet Apples Calming salve won't fix."

"Calming... salve...?" Rarity repeated.

Applejack gestured. "Spread a little apple sauce right above the nose. It does wonders."

"Ohhhhhh..." Rarity smiled. "I do so need to try that the next time I'm at the spa."

"You've been awfully quiet, Rainbow!" Twilight looked across the table. "What do you think of Applejack's good news?"

Applejack blinked, ears twitching. She was so busy telling her story that she practically forgot the pegasus was even seated at the table with them. Looking over, she realized precisely why.

The mare had been completely silent. Presently, she was leaning lazily back in her chair, gazing off into empty space. She was evidently thinking of something funny, judging from the subtle curve to her muzzle.

"Uhhhh... Rainbow Dash?" Twilight's voice rasped, and still it didn't stir the mare.

"Hey!" Pinkie Pie gasped. "Dashiiiie!"

"Guh..." Rainbow blinked, looked at the rest of the mares. "Buh?"

"Oh, whew!" Pinkie Pie sat easy in her seat. "For a moment there, I thought your brain had turned to slugs or something!"

"You okay, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked. "You... look tired."

"Oh..." Rainbow Dash stretched, then leaned limply forward. "Don't mind me." A half-stifled yawn. "I was up all night... uhm... Doing loopty loops over my house."

Applejack rolled her eyes.

"All throughout the night?" Rarity remarked. "Why, whatever for, darling?"

"Oh... uhm..." Rainbow fumbled suddenly for an explanation. "Uhhh... I was just... erm..."

"Training... for the Wonderbolts?" Twilight suggested enthusiastically.

"Yes!" Rainbow awoke. "The Wonderbolts! That's exactly it! Heh! Gotta keep myself in top shape! Cuz... those Wonderbolts, heh, I'm telling you!" She smiled proudly. "Not a day goes by when I don't think of... of j-joining the Wonderbolts!"

Rainbow had a one-track mind. It was adorable, in a way.

"Heh... well keep at it, sugarcube!" Applejack encouraged her. "I for one am livin' testimony that you can accomplish yer dreams no matter what you run up against!"

"Yeah..." Rainbow exhaled. She had nothing else to add.

"Glad to see you're on board with this discussion." Rarity chuckled at Rainbow Dash. She then turned to grin at the group at large. "My goodness! My mouth feels positively parched from all of this felicitous gasping!"

"Uhm..." Applejack squinted. "Don't ya have yer tea to wet yer whistle with?"

"Oh, but now I feel like I desire something cool and refreshing." Rarity looked at their host. "Pinkie, dear, might I trouble you for some of Sugarcube Corner's finest lemonade?"

"I can do ya a better solid than that!" Pinkie got up and trotted briskly across the room. "Follow me! We can choose you a flavor!"

"More than one flavor of lemonade?!" Rarity scooted out of her chair and followed her. "I feel prepared to—how do you put it—'have my mind blown,' as t'were."

"I certainly can't pass this up!" Twilight got up and joined the pastel train. "Pinkie! Make that double!"

"Shucks, I can actually plan on havin' spendin' money now!" Applejack briskly chased the group. "Wait up! And triple it, y'all!" She glanced over her shoulder. "You two want in?"

"Uhm..." Fluttershy waved from where she remained sitting at the table with Rainbow Dash. "We're good. But we appreciate it."

"Suit yerselves!" Applejack sighed happily as she accompanied the other mares. "Whew! Golly, I feel like runnin' a mile after this! It's a gorgeous day outside, ain't it?"

"Heehee! You can say that again!" Pinkie Pie bounced behind the counter. "This morning had the most beautiful sunrise! I mean it! Somepony must have put magic explosion crystals in Celestia's coffee!"

"Oh Pinkie, don't be silly." Twilight Sparkle chuckled. "Magic Explosion Crystals have been outlaw'd since the Donkey Rebellion of 975."

"Well, something a bit more legal, then! The eastern horizon was extra glimmery!"

"She ain't lyin'!" Applejack found a hard time standing in place—almost as if she could cut a jig at any moment. "Whew-wee! Is it hot in here or is it just me?"

"I suspect you'll get used to it, darling," Rarity said in a soft tone.

"Get used to what-now?"

Rarity winked at her. "Being happy. If you ask me—you deserve the enthusiasm. You're already positively radiant."

"Pffft... I'm used to bein' happy!" Applejack said.

"If you say so, darling."

Applejack smirked suspiciously. "Are ya callin' me a liar, Rarity?"

"No. But I suspect you are mixing up happiness with contentment."

"Huh..." Applejack blinked. "I never thought of it that way."

"And let us hope you never have to again."

"Heh... darn tootin'."

"Eee-hee-hee!" Twilight spontaneously leaned in and hugged Applejack, nuzzling her close. "I'm so glad things are looking up for you! I love it when my friends are happy!"

"Heheh..." Applejack playfully ruffled the mare's mane and nuzzled her back. "Awwwww shucks, Twilight. That makes the two of us..."

As the Apple Falls

Bright afternoon sunlight glistened off the apples in Applejack's basket. She carried the thing up a hill and under the shade of branching trees.

Sighing contentedly, the mare squatted down before a series of tombstones. She placed her basket down to the side, plucked a fruit from it, and bit into the delicious treat.

"Scrmmmfff... mmmm..."

She savored the tasty morsel in her mouth... then took a second bite.

Swallowing...

Smiling... ...

...she faced the stones and the names on them.

... ... and she spoke.

"So... mrmmff..."

Another bite.

A wink.

"... ... ...here's how things have been lookin' up. Mrmmmfff..."

"Here ya go!" Applejack slapped the last of the apple baskets onto the floor of the open train car. She wiped her brow and stepped back from the edge of the depot's platform. "Whew! Reckon I should become steam-operated like them metal engines of yers?"

"Ha! If only!" A workstallion made a count of the baskets, secured them, and hopped out of the box car. "Why, if we just had twenty duplicates of you to run the rails and pull our cargo, we'd have no need of steam engines period, Applejack!"

"Awwww shucks. I ain't that strong."

"Yeah. And I'm half donkey!" The stallion slid the box car door shut with a grunt. Fastening it, he turned to look at the mare over his shoulder. "I didn't know Barnyard Bargains shipped to Trottingham!"

"We ain't workin' for Barnyard Bargains anymore!"

"Whoah, wait. Really?" The stallion blinked. "Y'all branching out?"

"More like switchin' business partners." Applejack smiled proudly. "Let's just say tradition ain't so snazzy if it can't handle a curve every once and a while."

"Heh! If you say so! I sure hope it's a rich venture for you farm folk!"

"Oh..." Applejack tipped the brim of her hat and returned to her wagon. "...only the richest!"

"Our latest harvest's gone off without a hitch," Applejack said, staring at the verdant orchards past the stones. "All this time, I was buckin' the trees clean... hopin' against hope that we'd find a buyer out there who would be interested in our produce. Well... turns out a buyer found us. And what's more—he's deliverin' on every promise. Why, just two weeks ago..."

"Aaaaaaaaaaand there..." Applejack stacked the last of many, many golden bits onto the edge of the kitchen table. "...that makes twelve."

"Twelve?" Apple Bloom looked up at the table with a scrunched muzzle. "That looks a heap more than twelve."

Granny Smith cleared her throat. "It's twelve-hundred, darlin'."

"Oh." Apple Bloom winked hard. "... ... ...buck me!"

"Apple Bloom!" Applejack gnashed her teeth. "Watch yer muzzle!"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh!" The little filly turned tail and scampered up the stairs. "I-I've got some homework to do! See ya!"

"Hrmmmm..." Granny Smith smiled. "I'm surprised she didn't immediately ask for a raise in her allowance." She turned to wink at Applejack. "That's what yer Pappy did the first time we hit it big on cider season."

"Reckon her lil' mind's just blown." Applejack gulped, turning to look at the stacks of coins collected tableside. "I dun blame her. Mine is too."

"He actually delivered..." Granny Smith's muzzle hung over. "Bits payment in advance. Every coin of it. Right on time." A gulp. "No interest deducted. No nonsense. No nothin' except for a whole lot of somethin'."

"Is... is this really too good to be true, Granny?" Applejack asked. She reached forward but kept her hoof a safe inch or two away from the money, as if afraid it might melt spontaneously. "Is this really happenin'?"

"You once got together with yer friends and fired a rainbow shotgun at Nightmare Moon," Granny Smith drawled. "Why's this gotta be so much crazier?"

"Cuz it's stacked up on our kitchen table, guldurn it!" Applejack looked feverishly at her elder. "Wh-what if a stragglin' band of purse-nabbers randomly migrate onto our farm?"

"Get that gold fertilizer into a safe hold! Pronto!"

"Right!" Applejack hollered out the window. "Big Mac! Go fetch a shovel! Quick!"

"Wellllllll..." Applejack blushed slightly, leaning back against the basket of apples. "Of course we didn't just leave it all in the ground. Heheheh... after all..." She coughed sideways and threw a humble glance at the tombstones. "...the earth is meant for far more respectable tradition."

Clouds wafted overhead. Birds chirped and Winona barked in the distance.

Applejack breathed it all again.

Leaning forward, she addressed the stones: "If you must know, Twilight Sparkle lent a hoof in the matter. She and Rarity helped me escort the money to the First National Bank of Equestria. There, we made the family a brand new savings account! Twilight did all the numbers. Long and short of it—over time—we stand to earn a small percentage of increase to our deposit! Can ya believe that? And that isn't the last of the good ideas we seized up on. You may be happy to know that Big Mac and I came to an agreement over gettin' help with apple-buckin' from outside the farm. More like a halfway compromise..."

Share Croppin'

"So, that about covers that, y'all!" Applejack paced through a group of eight ponies gathered along the eastern half of the orchards. "Three of you will work the north fields. You three will work the west fields. The remaining two will stick around here with Big Mac and I and we'll work on the east orchards." She scuffled to a stop in the soft grass of Sweet Apple Acres. "Remember how I showed y'all. Line of the baskets. Buck the trees clean, one by one. Collect the baskets in the wagon and then move on to the next line of trees."

One country mare raised her hoof.

"Yeah?" Applejack cocked her head to the side. "You got a question? By all means, ask away."

She cleared her throat. "Miss Applejack, do you wish for us to be finished by sundown?"

"Heh... okay. Let's make one thang clear." Applejack smirked aside at Big Mac before facing the mare again. "Let's cut this whole 'Miss Applejack' schtick. I ain't yer lord or duchess or any of that nonsense. I'm just a pony on a farm needed extra help in getting the latest harvest done. So I'm tossin' bits yer way in hopes that we can all benefit. No need to think of me as anythang other than a kindly neighbor. And—to answer yer question... heh... heck no. We ain't gonna be anywhere near close to finishin' these here orchards by sundown. But, today especially, I'd like to feel thangs out. See what our mutual pace is. Then—once I've gotten an assessment after a day or two—I'll figure out how we'll move thangs from there. The ultimate plan—I reckon—is to work our way all around the farm's orchards all clock-wise-like. Make any sense?"

The group murmured amongst themselves and nodded.

"Now, Granny's fixed a table of refreshments in the center of the farm," Applejack said, pointing nebulously towards the family household and the front porch. "There're outhouses situated just between the house and the barn. Whatever ya do, dun wear yerself out stupid. Last thang I want is a helpin' hoof droppin' dead from heat exhaustion, ya feel me? I like my apple-wranglers just like I like my apples—juicy and ready to roll."

The air filled with chuckles.

"So... I guess that's it, y'all!" Applejack turned to Big Mac. "You got anythang to add, Big Mac?"

The large stallion smiled and shook his head. "Eeenope."

"Very well, then." Applejack pointed. "Now git, y'all! There be some apples to drop!"

"After puttin' an ad out on the Town Hall bulletin board, we fetched ourselves a bunch of field workers," Applejack said. She scratched the back of her head while breathing in the crisp air wafting over the lonesome hilltop. "Well... maybe not a bunch... more around eight or nine or so. Big Macintosh felt like hirin' more, but I talked him into keepin' the numbers low. I like it much better this way. I dun feel like we need an army of apple-buckers to shout through a bull-horn at. But—rather—it's more like we've got a small group of swell partners helpin' us with the hard labor. And it's helpin' them out too, y'know? By goin' small... I figure we can afford to pay them more. Seems like the sort of thang Fancy Pants would do... and he's the only reason we can do this at all. So I guess you could say we're spreadin' the love around as healthily as we can. And y'know what...?"

She smiled crookedly, freckles glistening in the sun.

"...it's workin' mighty well. A heck of a lot better than I thought. We even found time to chat it out and share stories between the fruit-gatherin'. Some really nice folk lendin' a hoof here on the farm. Many of them have lived in Ponyville all their lives; they just stick it out and when the local fields need extra help plowin' or pickin' or buckin'—they drop their names in the hat, get hired for a season, and that's how they get by. And here I was always foolish enough to think that the only 'farmers' who lived in this here town were the ones who owned their own land. Turns out I dun know my neighbors quite as much as I thought I did. But that's changin'... and I'm actually startin' to make some above-decent friends. New friends. In so many ways, it feels just like our horizons here are expandin'."

"What in the blue manure is that?!?" Granny Smith wheezed.

"Rnnngh... grkkkkk!" Applejack shook, quivered, strained, and finally lifted a dangling noose of miniature boulders up onto the kitchen table. THWUMP! "Whew...!" She stepped back and pointed at the rocks. "That right there is a 'Granite Mountain Necklace.'"

"Who would wear such a thang?" Granny blinked. "A guardian from Tartarus?"

"Nonsense, Granny! Fancy Pants himself forwarded this to us! Says here..." Applejack picked a slip of paper up and read from it, eyes squinting. "...erm... 'A buffalo gift from the buffalo buffalo of the inner mountain buffalo, buffalo...'" She blinked. "Now that's an awful lotta typos... right?"

"Dun tell me that's from them horned folks who've been enjoyin' our apple products!"

"I'm afraid so! Turns out this here necklace is a token of their appreciation! Also—an invitation."

"An invitation?" Granny Smith blinked. "What kind of an invitation?"

Applejack squinted at the letter once again: "'We buffalo kindly buffalo ask that we share the buffalo filling fruit with our buffalo buffalo neighbors to the west, where they have made buffalo friends with the non-buffalo, buffalo."

"Buffalo... to the west?" Granny Smith blinked, chewing on her bottom lip. "Why... they must be referrin' to Appleloosa!"

"Sounds just like it."

"But... dun those buffalo already have a healthy heapin' supply of apples from Braeburn and the rest of his folk?"

"Yeah..." Applejack leaned forward with a smile. "But they ain't our Sweet Apple Acres supply!"

"So... in other words... we're fixin' to expand our distribution."

"Fancy Pants has already written me, tellin' he's willing to take the mountain buffalo up on his offer."

"Hmmmmm..." Granny Smith rubbed her wrinkly chin... then eventually smiled. "Well, shoot, I reckon them stones should fit just fine over the fireplace! Let's write 'em back and tell 'em it's a deal!"

"Darn tootin', Granny! Now that's the spirit—!"

The kitchen table collapsed under the weight of the rock necklace. THUD!

"Oh consarn it!"

"And... of course..."

Applejack smiled past the tombstones resting before her.

"...for the first time in as long as I can remember... I'm startin' to find myself some... well..."

She shifted nervously, as if feeling guilty to admit it.

"To find myself some... some..."

At long last, the orange freckle pony finally spat it out:

"Some t-time off..."

Time Off

"Sooooooooo..." Rarity smiled elegantly, leaning back in her bath robe with a fluffy towel wrapped around her head and horn. "...my latest client put in a good word for me. Even promised that they'd refer my talents to Hoity Toity himself."

Applejack sat across from her in the steam room, likewise reclining. "Mmmmhmmm."

"Obviously, they do not know that I have already made a fortuitous impact on Hoity Toity in the fashion scene. But now that I have yet another reccomendation coming in from a completely unrelated source, it's more than likely to pique his interest again!"

Applejack closed her eyes and smiled, relishing in the aromatic bath. "Mmmmhmmm."

"Which would be wonderful because he and several other prominent figures are planning on attending an art show in Manehattan! Rumor is that it'll be transpiring at the flat of the very own Photo Finish. You remember Photo Finish?"

"Mmmmhmmmm..."

"Well, everypony that is everypony will be attending that art show. And if Hoity Toity will be speaking praises about my work, then that means everypony that is everypony will be listening in—and I'll be earning brand new clients from the upper elite of Manehattan in no time! Eee-hee-heee! It's like a dream come true...!"

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmhmmmmmmm."

"And when they gather together like this..." Fluttershy nestled behind a bush, her dainty figure clad in a beige safari outfit, complete with a broad-rimmed hat. She put down a pair of binoculars and smiled at her freckled friend while whispering. "...it's called a 'kaleidoscope.'"

"Y'all dun say..." Applejack peeked from behind the bush. Using a spyglass, she watched as hundreds if not thousands of butterflies settled down on the grass blades of an open field bordering the Everfree Forest. "Sorta like how there's a 'gaggle' of geese?"

"Mmmhmm!" Fluttershy smiled from cheek to cheek. She spoke softly, as if not to disturb the migratory insects before them. "Notice how nothing from the Everfree Forest is coming out to prey on them?"

"I didn't think about it until now." Applejack lowered her spyglass, likewise whispering. "Why is that?"

"Well... my theory is..." Fluttershy gazed out at the colorful display of wings, wings, wings. "...the food chain subconsciously understands that to eliminate all of these butterflies would have an irrecoverable impact on the pollination of the local flora. So—over the centuries—they've instinctually trained themselves to not bother an entire migratory kaleidoscope of butterflies... at least until they've stopped mating and congregating. Isn't that wonderful? That the animal kingdom would... take a day off from predatory habits in order to maintain beauty and kindness? Squeeee!"

"Heh... reckon it's a purdy sight, alright."

"I knowwwwwwww..." Fluttershy sighed dreamily. "If only Big Mac wasn't busy with a hay bail shipment today. I'd love for him to see this too."

"Oh, I'm sure he's used to gazing at pretty thangs."

"Hmmmmm. Very true." Fluttershy blinked, doing a double-take. "Wait. What?"

Pinkie Pie took a deep breath. "One... two... three!"

Applejack and Rainbow Dash hoof-wrestled viciously from opposite sides of a table inside Sugarcube Corner.

"Hnnnnngh!"

"Grnnnkk-kk-kk!"

The rest of the girls watched—gawking—in an anxious circle around the two competing mares.

Rainbow Dash strained.

Applejack sweated.

"Oooooooh!” Pinkie Pie hopped around the table, closely eyeing the two muscle-taut forelimbs. "So close! Closey closey closey! This is a fight for all the marvels!”

“Fascinating," Twilight exhaled.

"It's certainly going on for quite a while," Rarity said, fanning herself. "Did it last this long last time?”

"No." Twilight shook her head. "Rainbow Dash beat Applejack three times straight during the Iron Pony Competition.”

“Huh. You don’t say…”

“Not… helping…” Rainbow Dash grunted.

“Don’t t-take it out on them, sugarcube!” Applejack hissed through a crooked smile. "This is… nnngh… all you and me!”

Fluttershy stammered: “It’s g-gone on for long enough! Perhaps we can call it a tie?”

“A tie?!” Applejack grunted. “You kiddin’?”

“Don’t worry, Flutters!” Rainbow hissed. “I j-just… gotta show… Applejack who is… who is… boss…”

“Ya seem to be sweatin’ an awful lot, darlin’.”

“Grrrrnngh… I got this!” Rainbow clenched her eyes shut. Her forelimb began to buckle.

Applejack saw the opportunity. There was a flutter between them—like an itch against her scalp. She scratched it the only way she could... by throwing full force into her fetlock. "Haaaugh!"

"Whoahhh!" Rainbow's voice cracked. Not only did she lose the hoof-wrestling match, but she fell clear across the floor and rolled over onto her backside.

The room filled with cheers.

“AJ wins!” Pinkie bounced up and down. “AJ wins!”

Applejack leaned back, pumping her forelimb. "Yeeeha! Nothin' beats the apple family muscle—" She winced suddenly, rubbing her fetlock. "Owwwwww... shucks! That took a lot out of me!" She turned to look down at the floor. "Well played, Rainbow Dash—Land's sakes!"

"Uhhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash lay on the floor with her hooves curled above her tummy. She smiled nervously. "G-good job! You totally showed me up!"

"Let's hear it for Applejack!" Pinkie Pie bellowed, standing prominently by Applejack's side. "Tosser of Dashies!"

It Wasn't the Wind

Applejack sat at the top of the hill, gazing forward.

Her eyes searched left.

Then they searched right.

Her muzzle opened, but she got hung up on her own breath.

Slowly, the mare's ears began to droop.

"Hey, uhm, Rainbow...?"

Rainbow was still dusting herself from the tumble she took across the floor of Sugarcube Corner. With a flick of her tail, the petite pegasus turned around to look.

"Yes, Applejack?"

"I..." Applejack brushed one forelimb with the other. She avoided her friend's gaze. "...I just wanted to be sure of somethin',"

Applejack gulped.

A warm blind wafted over Sweet Apple Acres.

"I... uh..."

She cleared her throat and adjusted the brim of her hat.

"I've been gettin' along just fine with... with..." A tight breath. "With... uhhhhh..."

Her ears and tail went limp.

"Say anything, AJ."

"Well, alrighty then." At long last, biting her lip, Applejack angled her eyes in the other mare's direction. "Did I hurt you earlier?"

Rainbow blinked. "Hurt... me?"

"Y'know... in the restaurant, while we was eatin' that fine meal that you bought for us all generous-like."

"Uhhhh..." Rainbow searched the ceiling, then brightened. "You mean the hoof wrestling thing?"

"Yeah." Applejack gulped. "The hoof wrasslin' thang."

"Pffffft." Rainbow smirked, rolling her eyes. "So what if I took a little tumble? Big deal! I've taken worse before. I bounce back all the time!"

"Still don't make it a proper thang that done happened!" Applejack frowned. "I practically grinded you into the tile floor like you was an earth plow. Rainbow, I'm awfully sorry."

"It's fine! Really!" Rainbow shrugged. "Those are the chances you take when you compete."

"Yes, only you don't chance it that often, do ya, sugarcube?"

Rainbow Dash blinked again. "Huh?"

Applejack winced, realizing she had to find new words to rephrase herself. She ultimately chose to change the subject... slightly. "I gotta say. I'm plum surprised I beat you like I did, Rainbow."

"Oh... uh..." Rainbow shrugged. "Well, surprises happen in life."

"Not around you, they don't," Applejack said. Before she could question the truth of that statement, she chose to go with a more digestible angle: "Yer the loyalest pony there ever was! We can count on you for anythang! And when you suddenly get thrown helter skelter by a simple lil' hoof wrassle..."

"Hey... I'm still loyal."

Applejack smiled. "I ain't sayin' yer not, darlin'. It's just that... It's awful unsettlin', ya feel me? With what just happened right now? I mean, I'm so plum used to treatin' you like yer just as strong and thick-skinned as me. But... b-but if I've been wrong about it all this time..."

Applejack sucked her breath in. She avoided the sight of Rainbow again, realizing she had talked herself into a corner. Habitually, she reached a hoof up and tightened her hat on her scalp. The feather rested where only she could feel it, and it was still as fragile and delicate as ever.

Just like the memory she had. A very precious memory.

Even still... it was just a memory. Her memories of her folk were fragile and delicate—but that didn't make her parents any less strong. For so long, Applejack had struggled to keep the farm afloat like they had once done. Now that everything was floating even, it was getting more and more difficult to rely on the fragile vestiges of the past... and the strings that bound them so tenderly to the present.

Applejack realized she had submerged herself too deep into her own mind to bother getting out of this conversation gracefully. It was far too much to ever concern Rainbow Dash with. However, she was feeling in an apologetic mood. So she carried on with natural aplomb: "All the times I've bitten onto yer tail or given you a playful shove or jabbed you every now and then. Well, suddenly I can't help but feel awful... just awful..."

"Hey... Hey, listen to me..." Rainbow Dash's voice was warmer than Applejack expected. "You could never... ever hurt me, Applejack."

Applejack squinted at her. She remembered the tearful little pegasus that snuggled tightly against her, shivering and vulnerable, in a Canterlot alleyway. "Ya sound mighty sure about that, sugarcube."

"Only because I am." Rainbow's wingtips fluttered as she added: "More sure of anything as I'll ever friggin' be. So don't you freak out, okay? You've got enough crap to deal with—like apples constantly falling on your head when you go bucking for hours on end."

Applejack took a deep breath, then bore a weak smile. "I reckon it's just the farmer's curse."

"Farmer's curse?"

"Eeyup. Always destined to be stronger, thicker, and denser than the rest of the ponies around me."

"Hah. Don't give yourself too much credit." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I just happened to be off my game today. Next time won't be so easy for you."

"I suppose." Applejack felt relieved to be in the good grace of her friend. So she decided to do a friendly thing.

Totally friendly.

She leaned in and scooped Rainbow Dash into a hug. "Sorry for gettin' all queasy on ya, Rainbow. I know how much ya hate sappiness."

Rainbow Dash stammered: "More than the scum of the earth."

Applejack exhaled with relief. She was happy to be in good grace with her friends. On top of how well the apple business was booming, it positively made her flutter on the inside.

Perhaps that—if nothing else—was what tempted Applejack's forelimbs to take a slight detour when parting from the hug. Her fetlock brushed straight through Rainbow's mane. The farm mare felt a sharp spike through her body, from skull to tail, and for the briefest of seconds it was as though the entirety of her skin was covered in one single feather. In the next exhale, the tiniest of follicle grazes had ended, and Applejack stood across from her friend, biting her tongue and fighting the urge to blush.

"Well... I best be off..." Applejack patted her belly and swiftly trotted away. "I've got enough fuel to buck the whole Acres ten times over! Hah!"

"Go on, girl..." Rainbow Dash casually spoke, unaffected, which gave Applejack a breath of relief. "Have fun bucking without me."

"Heh, whatever you say, Rainbow." Applejack waved and made her exit. "Enjoy the rest of your day!"

"I'll try!"

She Can Handle It

Applejack exhaled slowly. She closed her eyes.

"I... I know where my friends lie..."

Another breath. Birds chirped in the distance.

"...and so long as the farm's in a good place... then I know where I lie..."

She opened her eyes. Moist pupils reflected a pair of gravestones.

"So long as I've got all my apples in a row, I ain't got no reason to fuss. I ain't got no exuse for... for feelin' confused."

She stood up tall, ears pricked up on either side of her hat.

"The farm is doin' well, and I've got friends who are happy and willin' to support me. And that's all that matters. Ain't no need for nothin' else whatsoever. So..."

She cracked a fragile grin.

"Ya ain't got nothin' to worry about."

A beat.

"Well..." Applejack's eyes darted away as she stifled a chuckle. "...except for the fact that the vampire fruit backs might be comin' back. But... I'm positive that I'll find a way to deal with that."

"Yaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgh!" A voice echoed over the trees. In the distance, loose leaves and leathery wings scattered through the heavens.

Applejack craned her neck. She made to sit up from the front porch. "Maybe... maybe she needs some help with scatterin' them varmints—"

"Oh! Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy shook her head and urged Applejack to sit back down. "You know how she is when she puts her mind to something. I'd say just let her have her moment."

"But... chasin' away vampire fruit bats is a rigorous exercise!" Applejack looked at Fluttershy. "Ya sure she won't get too tuckered out?"

"Uhmmmmm..." Fluttershy gulped, then smiled. "Trust me. She would much rather be doing this alone rather than... uhm... bother anypony else."

"Bother me? But it's my own farm! The bats are my problem."

"Hey! Uh..." Fluttershy leaned forward on the edge of her seat. "What's this I heard about Granny Smith gettin' a much-needed checkup?"

"Oh! I was about to get into that, wasn't I?" Enthused, Applejack faced the dainty pegasus squarely and spoke: "She's been visitin' the doctors regularly, gettin' multiple opinions and all. They've set her straight and made a schedule, and after another month or two, we can finally give Granny the operation she needs for her hip replacement! I'm tellin' ya, Fluttershy, it's like a dream come true! Well... almost, that is... There's still the chance that someday I'll settle down and have some foals of my own. But for the first time in my whole life, it's really lookin' and feelin' like the family's gonna have things all squared away!" Applejack took a sip from a cup of cider, swallowed, and added with a warm smile. "And the families to come from it!"

Big Macintosh strolled back into the scene, rolling his eyes and smiling into a mug of his own. "Heheh... Eeeeyup."

"Don't you roll yer eyes at me, Macky!"

Fluttershy giggled... throwing a nervous glance towards the distant treeline.

A New Apple

"Thanks again for takin' care of them vampire fruit bats, Rainbow," Applejack said, her freckles shining in the rosy glint of a fiery sunset. "I dun rightly know how you pulled it off, but we here at Sweet Apple Acres are plum grateful."

"Hey, don't mention it." Rainbow Dash cleared her throat as the two slowly trotted towards the entrance of the farmland. "I don't know how I p-pulled it off either."

"Hahaha!" Applejack slapped Rainbow's saddlebag as she guffawed. "Awwwwww shucks. Quite the jokin' varmint you are."

"Hey...!" Rainbow smiled crookedly. "That's my favorite kind of varmint!"

"Reckon that's one mighty coinkydink."

Before Rainbow could respond—

"Rainbow Dash! Applejack!" Fluttershy's voice rolled over the windblown trees.

Applejack and Raibnow turned to look.

Fluttershy was waving from the dirt path leading away from Sweet Apple Acres. "I must be going now! Big Macintosh offered to trot me home!"

"Dun surprise me in the least!" Applejack smiled and waved. "Y'all take care of yerselves, now, ya hear?"

"It was really, really nice talking to you, Applejack!" Fluttershy called out again.

"Just me, huh?"

"Ermmm..." Fluttershy blushed... then cowered behind Big Mac's chuckling figure as the two began their leisurely trot home.

"Friggin' crazy," Rainbow Dash muttered.

"In a good way, ya mean?" Applejack responded.

Rainbow shrugged. "I mean, I guess. Your brother's cool and all... for a stallion."

"Hah! Well, he sure as hay ain't no mare!"

Rainbow said nothing.

"I dun think I'd mind one bit..." Applejack slowly shook her head, gazing at the couple from afar. "Nosiree."

"Don't mind what?"

"Fluttershy becomin' an apple."

Rainbow Dash blinked. Hard. "Holy crap."

Applejack flashed her a look, blinking. "What?"

"I mean..." Rainbow rubbed the back of her head. "I had no idea it was that friggin' serious..."

"It's Big Macintosh, Rainbow..." Applejack chuckled lightly. "He only puts his heart and mind into somethin' if he means it. And he ain't ever fancied another pony before—not like he fancies Fluttershy."

"Yeah. And I'm totally happy for them. It's just..."

"S'all good, Rainbow Dash." Applejack winked. "I know yer not the romantic type."

"No, it's not that. I mean... Just because it's the first time either of them have fallen in love doesn't mean it's a done deal. Like... right?"

"Well... I dunno." Applejack shrugged. "I'm told it's how my folks came to be."

"Well, cool for them. But that's not the case for everypony." Rainbow looked down the dirt path. "I mean... did you ever marry the very first pony you felt your heart flutter for?"

Applejack bit her lip with a slight tremble. She tightened the brim of her hat. "Yeah... w-well..."

"I wish them the best. I really do. And I totally dig Fluttershy being happy and confident and stuff." Rainbow took a deep breath. "I just... I dunno. I worry about her, and I really don't want the two of them to rush it."

"Hahahahahahah..." Applejack smirked. "Rainbow, for Celestia's sake! We're talkin' about Big Mac and Fluttershy. Do you truly, honestly think they're capable of rushing things?"

Rainbow Dash exhaled. "Awwwwwwwwww barf..." She smiled crookedly. "You make a good point."

"I make the only point!" Applejack laughed again. "Let's not be too worried. She's our friend and he's my brother. We can trust them."

"Yeah... we can..."

"And... I'm all for them... bein' together, that is," Applejack said, her expression turning soft and angelic. "Even if they did wanna 'rush it,' I'd be okay."

"Yeah...?"

"Guess it's selfish of me..." Applejack shrugged. "...all my life, I've watched as... as the Apple Family l-lost ponies from its fold." She gulped. "Would be plum magical to see new members join us for a change."

Rainbow Dash blinked at her. "You don't have to just wait for your brother to make that a reality, AJ."

Applejack bit her lip.

"Or you can. I mean... whatever..." Rainbow Dash sighed... then sighed again. "I need to go."

"Yeah, I figured."

"Chasing around all those stupid bats made me crazy hungry. Also, I stink like a motherbucker."

"You wanna have a bite of apple pie?" Applejack gestured back to the house. "It's only fitting!"

"Hah! Not unless I can borrow your shower too!"

Applejack kicked at the ground. "Well..."

"Chillax, AJ. I'll be okay." Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and took off. "Everything's going to be okay."

Applejack smiled up at her, ears drooping. "Everythang is okay."

"Yeah..." Rainbow looked back at her with a soft smile. "Ain't it cool?" SWOOOOSH! And she was gone in a burst.

Applejack opened her muzzle, as if to shout something... but the prismatic pegasus was already a colorful dot against the darkening horizon. She reached up and steadied her hat, feeling the flutter from deep within...

...and elsewhere.

With a quiet breath, she turned and trotted back towards the front porch of her homestead.

Alone.

An Old Apple

"So... all in all..." Fancy Pants floated the empty teacup down onto the table beside a stack of notes and financial reports. "...a fantastic start! Beyond fantastic, actually! Especially since this new party in Appleloosa is willing to buy several bushels of your finest product!" He adjusted his monocole and grinned across the meeting room within the Ponyville City Hall. "I'm telling you, my dear, we're taking broad strides into an area of social trade the likes of which have never been explored before! It was my lifelong dream to offer something that would appeal to the buffalo—both mountain and plains—and your golden delicious contributions have made my vision into a reality! I most certainly cannot thank you enough! I mean... the potential future ramifications of this are staggeringly brilliant! And already I have many delegates from Canterlot interested in the progress we've made. They're now coming to me to see about making contact with diamond dogs... sarosians... even naga! Have you heard of the naga? I hear they're reptilian in nature. Shape-shifters. Absolutely fascinating souls..."

Applejack sat across from him, staringly blankly at the space between.

Fancy Pants blinked. "Erm..." He chuckled nervously. "Good heavens, I've begun to ramble again, haven't I?"

"Hmmm?" Applejack looked up. She blinked. "Oh. I'm sorry, Fancy. It all does sound... plum amazin'."

"Well, to myself, most likely." He leaned back in his seat. "But I fear I may be focused too ardently on my own ethusiasm. Tell me, my dear, is everything quite alright?"

"Oh, darn tootin'!" Applejack sat up straight. "The farm's shinin' bright like it never has before! The hired hooves are doin' their part: benefitin' without leechin' off us none. Granny Smith is preparin' to undergo a much-needed hip replacement."

"Oh, bless her heart."

"Eeyup. Apple Bloom's free of stress; she's been able to concentrate a lot more on her school work. Big Mac is livin' life up in the clouds—figuratively speakin'..."

"Heheh..."

"And all this business with the Appleloosan Buffalo sounds mighty fine. I can't wait to see what it can do for our ongoin' partnership."

"Of that—I have little to no apprehension," Fancy Pants said. "However, I must ask again—for I fear you may have misunderstood my inquiry..." His eyes narrowed. "How are you doing, Miss Applejack?"

"Me?" Applejack blinked in confusion. "Why, I'm doin' quite fine, sir."

"Mmmmmhmmm..." Fancy Pants rubbed his chin, smiling gently. "It wouldn't be very customary of the Element of Honesty to stretch the truth a bit, now would it, hmmm?"

Applejack's brow furrowed. "You sayin' that I'm lyin', sir?"

"Heheheh... No. No no no no..." Fancy Pants leaned forward, kneading his two fetlocks together in a calm fashion. "However, if there's anything I've learned from studying my fellow equine associates—it's that a pony cannot very well ascertain what is true from what is false when there is very little that is concrete."

"I... I-I'm afraid I dun follow, sir." Applejack gulped. "Cement mixin' has never been my specialty. Big Mac, on the other hoof—"

"It's okay to say you're unhappy, madame," Fancy Pants said firmly. "Even if everything is going your way." He raised an eyebrow. "Even if you don't quite understand why..."

Applejack stared at him.

Fancy Pants calmly looked back.

With a heavy exhale, the mare leaned back. She raised one hoof, nibbling slightly on the edge of it as she stared off with a pensive expression. At long last, she swallowed a lump down her throat and murmured to the walls of the room: "All I ever wanted was for the farm to float by just fine. And now that it is... I mean... now that you've come in and helped us accomplish all that we've ever dreamt for... I reckon I dang-near accomplished all that I set my heart to way back when I first made promises to my folks..." She took a shuddering breath. "...to my folks' graves."

Fancy Pants nodded. "I see..."

"And everythang truly is wonderful. It's all just so plum amazin'. Granny's gettin' her health looked at. Apple Bloom's happy. Big Mac is movin' on in life. Heck... even Winona's tail is wagging more than usual!"

"Heheheh..." Fancy Pants grinned. "...you've spent your whole life making promises for other ponies... and now you're meeting them." He exhaled calmly. "... ... ...did you ever once stop to make promises to yourself?"

Applejack bit her lip. "I... I always thought I was..." She grimaced slightly. "But... but now that everythang is meetin' up all even-like..." She looked at the stallion with drooping ears. "...is it even right for me to feel all sixes and sevens?"

Fancy Pants leaned back with a breath. "Contentment can be a very, very frightening landscape." He cocked his head slightly to the size. "Positively mortifying for a hard-working soul such as yourself."

"Please, Fancy..." Applejack shook her head. "I ain't complainin'—"

"And I wouldn't presume that you would," he said. "At the same time, this is a fairly great change in your life. And it shouldn't be that alarming that you would—in fact—find yourself reassessing things."

"It's like... like..." Applejack squirmed.

"Like the need to make something happen for you, Miss Applejack," Fancy Pants said. "And you alone."

Applejack's eyes were slightly misty. "Guess I've had the luxury of never havin' to put myself in the spotlight." She sniffled. "It feels... mighty heavy."

Fancy Pants nodded. "If it helps... I would be more than happy to lend you an ear."

She looked at him.

He smiled. "I've been in that same place myself. In a lot of ways, I still am. I find that the best thing to do is to communicate with those I trust. With friends."

Applejack smiled. She cleared her throat, rubbed her eyes dry, and murmured, "I have me the best friends anypony could ever ask for."

"Well, bully! Bully!" Fancy Pants grinned. "Perhaps you know where to start!"

"Yes..." Applejack nodded. "And... no."

"No?" Fancy Pants raised an eyebrow.

"Friends make my world go round," Applejack said. "But so does hard work. But..." She smiled at the stallion. "You'll be happy to know I'm workin' on both in the next two days."

"Oh? Are you speaking of a fresh new apple harvest?"

"No!" Applejack chuckled. "I'm talkin' about a barn raisin'!"

Raise Suspense, Raise Suspense, 1-2-3-4

"That about does it, folks!" Applejack shouted. A layer of sweat christned her brow as she smiled at the skeletal framework of a barn that was forming slowly in front of her.

Two dozen other ponies gathered around the foundation to the new building at Sweet Apple Acres. Some of them carried lumber while others hammered wooden pieces in place and yet more ponies prepared a simple pulley system with rope to raise the next portion up. It was a festive atmosphere, albeit laborious.

"In less than a minute..." Applejack paced through the scene. "We should be able to give it the ol' heave-ho!" She looked across the way at a family of smiling ponies and tipped the brim of her hat. "Golden Harvest, thanks for bringin' yer family. How about you get the east side, ya hear?"

As they Harvest family moved into position, Granny Smith came up the hill, pushing a cart covered in ice cold lemonade glasses. "Comin' along nicely, Applejack!" she said. The old mare came to a stop, sporting a proud grin. "My, oh, my, if this ain't a sweet sight already!"

"A lil' too early for refreshments, Granny!" Applejack replied with a smirk while Big Mac nodded. "How about waitin' till we're done with the outer framework?"

"Awwww..." Granny pouted through her wrinkles. "But I walked all this way!"

"Well, have yerself a little sit-down in the shade. This part shouldn't take too long, I reckon."

While Granny Smith waddled over to the opposite end of the barn, a bright blue figure soared into view. Rainbow Dash landed beside the half-erected barn, and she was panting for breath.

"Whoah, nelly!" Applejack jumped back, grasping her hat. She chuckled. "How nice of ya to drop by, Rainbow! Yer just in time for this here barn-raisin'!"

"Why?" Rainbow looked all around, jittery. "Why raise a barn?!" She gulped. "Why so many heavy pieces of plywood... and st-strangling ropes?"

Applejack squinted at her. "You okay, sugarcube? Ya look like you've been spooked somethin' awful."

"Wouldn't you rather be doing something that didn't involve so much dangerous lumber and splinters?"

"Pfft." Applejack waved a hoof and smirked. "Shucks, darlin'. Ain't nothin' dangerous about this! Not s'long as I'm keepin' a watchful eye on the whole procedure! My Uncle Red Glaze taught me the ins-and-outs of barn-raisin', and then my Pa before him!"

"Eeeeyup!" Big Mac sounded off from where he helped the busy ponies fitting together lumber.

"Yeah, but..." Rainbow as wincing. "Why today of all days?"

Applejack merely stared at her. "Why not?"

Rainbow was at a loss for words. She could only bite her lip.

"We've been doing so well with the apple harvest lately," Applejack said. "I figured settin' up a storehouse by the east field would help out in the years to come! Might as well take advantage of the bits rollin' in, ya feel me?" Applejack smiled wide. "And thanks to you scarin' off them vampire fruit bats the other day, we've got an early start!"

"Yeah..." Rainbow exhaled. "Thanks to me."

"Well..." Applejack cracked the joines in her neck. Having Rainbow Dash nearby was encouraging in any circumstance, but she couldn't afford to stick around and talk. "I'd lurve to chat, but I've gotta get my hooves dirty sooner than later."

"Wait!" Rainbow's voice cracked. Applejack flung her a curious look, and the loyal pegasus smiled. "How about I help you!"

"Help me?"

"Yeah!"

Applejack stared... blinked... then laughed wildly.

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Ohhhhhhhh Sugarcube..." Applejack leaned against Rainbow Dash. It was a good enoguh excuse to rest a hoof on the mare's shoulder. "Why don't you leave this to the big-boned earth ponies, ya hear?"

Rainbow's curious anxiety gave way to the usual sneer: "The hay is that supposed to mean?"

Applejack leaned back, her fetlock brushing slightly against Rainbow's mane. She kept her breath firm and managed to say: "Oh, I'm only teasin' ya, sugarcube. We already have all of our positions cut out for us. Still, I appreciate the offer..." She threw in a wink. "...even if yer just a petite little speedster."

Rainbow frowned. "Don't call me 'petite.'" Her voice nevertheless cracked as she said that.

Applejack pointed skyward. "Heck, reckon you could be our spotter if ya feel like it! None of us have wings, and it'd be a big help!" She joined the rest of the gathered ponies, whistling. "Golden Harvest! Big Mac! Let's do this thang!"

"Yeeeha!"

"Alright!"

"Woohoo!"

"Eeyup!"

"Show 'em how it's done, Big Mac!" Granny Smith cheered from where she stood, fanning herself with a wrinkled hoof. "Apple family style!" Something suddenly stole her attention, and she wandered out of Applejack's sight.

Rainbow Dash loomed nearby, but Applejack wasn't paying any attention to her. They had a barn to raise.

"Alright, y'all!" Applejack bit onto a rope beside Big Mac and the others. "On the count of three!" She made sure everypony was safely positioned, then gave a shout: "One... two... three. Heave!"

The air filled with grunts and strained breaths. Nevertheless—with the combined effort of everypony involved—the eastern wall of the barn was raised skyward until it fitted perpendicular with the other portions of the skeletal structure. All it took was a firm tightening of the ropes and a series of planks pressed up against the contacting portions, and the group was finally read to hammer and nail the new wall in place.

"Woohoo!" Applejack jumped in place, cheering. "Way to go, y'all!" She reached a hoof up to grab her hat and wave it around—but swiftly decided against that as she remembered who had flown in at the last second. "Ahem! That's some true grit! Now let's just hammer the thing in and—"

Spontaneously, there was a loud snapping sound, followed by a heavy groan and the rush of air. Something shifted, wobbled, and fell in Applejack's peripheral vision, and it was followed by the sound of Rainbow Dash shrieking.

"No—!!!"

Thuddd!

Most of the ponies gasped, eyes going wide.

"...?" In a numb stupor, Applejack turned around. "...Granny?"

Barn It

Big Macintosh did a double-take, his eyes bugging.

Golden Harvest and the rest of her family looked over with gaping muzzles.

On heavy limbs, Applejack limped towards the opposite side of the partially-raised barn. Her heart pounded through her chest and neck as she rounded the corner, stumbling upon the inevitable horror show. "Land's sakes..." She gulped and picked up the pace. "Granny...?!" Fighting the urge to sob, she outright galloped towards the source of the thunderous crash. "Granny!"

Big Macintosh and the others stampeded after her.

At long last, they reached the elder mare... who was standing perfectly healthy and unharmed in the epicenter of a ring of thick splinters. The falling side of the barn had literally exploded on all sides of her.

But Granny Smith hadn't a single scratch on her.

"Are ya alright?!" Applejack grasped the old mare's shoulders, hyperventilating. "Lemme look at you!"

"Eeeyu-humina—what?!" Granny squinted at Applejack in confusion. She grasped a freshly-plucked flower or two and frowned at the younger mare's panic. "Why, of course I'm alright! Why wouldn't I be?" With a grunt, she shoved away at Applejack. "Stop pawin' me like I'm some sort of dag-blame'd hog gettin' spruced up for a show!"

"Oh, Granny!" Applejack teared up instantly. She flung herself forward, hugging Granny Smith close. "I th-thought I'd lost ya, darlin'! I had n-no idea that there frame was so loose! You almost plum died!"

"Died? Pffft!" Granny patted Applejack's shoulder and smiled. "Why, what in Equestria are ya babblin' about? I've still got a good few years left in me, ya silly pony!" Once that was said, she stole a look at the debris scattered all around her frail figure. "Huh... That's strange. Who put all these chunks of plywood around here?"

"Oh goodness..." Applejack sniffled. She rubbed her eyes dry while still clinging to her grandmother. "I swear, I-I've never been so scared in all my life!"

Golden Harvest stammered, "That was nothing short of a miracle." Stunned, she looked at Big Macintosh. "You ever seen anything like that, Big Mac?"

Big Macintosh was still trying to process the situation. "....eeeeeeeeeenope." He gawked at the debris, at the side of the barn, then at the debris again.

Other ponies gathered murmured in awe: "It was incredible. It's like the thing exploded in midair!"

"I can't believe what I'm seeing. Did something hit it?"

"Maybe it was a tree branch!"

"No way. Granny Smith wasn't standing anywhere near a tree."

"Perhaps a sharp gust of wind..."

"You feeling any change in the air? Because I'm not!"

"Folks... folks..." Applejack took control of the situation. She waved her hooves at the group and calmed her shuddering breaths. "Let's... uhm... let's all call it a day..."

"What?!" Granny Smith frowned. "But AJ, you barely done raised half of this here barn—"

"And to be perfectly honest, I don't rightly care at the moment," Applejack said. She nuzzled the old mare again. "It's not the most important thang for us to be workin' on right now. Besides, I reckon it needs a heapin' load of inspection before we labor on it any further. Ya feel me?"

Silence.

Eventually those gathered around nodded and murmured in agreement.

"Well... uh..." Granny Smith fidgeted. "If th-that's what you think is for the best, darlin', then who am I to argue with ya?"

"No arguments whatsoever, Granny." Applejack smiled. "Let's get you inside and rest up a bit. We're done for the day."

"Well, if that's the case..." Granny Smith threw a wrinkly smile over her shoulders. "How about y'all samplin' a piece of my latest apple cherry pie?!"

"Heheheh..."

"Oh, that sounds marvelous!"

"Don't mind if I do."

"Eeeeyup."

The group of barn-raising ponies trotted off, and Applejack lingered behind. She took several deep breaths, feeling as the blood recollected nominally throughout her system. Every time she thought of the loud crash ricocheting across the farmland, she felt a stab to her heart. In every blink, she saw a pair of stones lingering at the top of a hill, and it chilled her to think that a third almost joined it that very same day.

She felt weak... scared... desperate...

...and she reached a hoof up to her hat, longing for the gentle, relieving softness lingering inside.

And that is when her eyes wandered... and she spotted a separate portion of the blue sky that was still hovering in place. She gasped—then pulled her hat tighter to her scalp.

"Oh! Rainbow!" She exhaled, smiling with simultaneous relief and surprise. "I... uh... shucks. In all the excitement, I plum forgot you was hoverin' there!"

"Uhm..." Rainbow was evidently stunned by the recent events. Her ears drooped as her voice cracked, "That's okay. I-I kind of forgot I was here too."

Applejack smiled, feeling warm and toasty inside. "Life sure is dayum surprisin' at times, would you agree?"

"Uhhh... maaaaaaaaaybe?"

Applejack looked at the wooden debris, then back up at Rainbow Dash. "You were usin' yer wings the whole time. I dun suppose ya got a good view of what the hay just happened with that there buildingface?"

"I... uhm..." Rainbow looked behind her for a brief moment. "I think I had sweat in my eyes at the time."

"Uh huh..."

Silence.

Applejack finally decided not to triple-count her blessings. "Well!" She tilted her hat back and smiled. "Good thang nopony got flattened! Especially a pony I lurve with every fiber of my being!" She motioned towards the house. "C'mon inside, sugarcube. I reckon an energetic speedster like you is absolutely dyin' for a taste of some sweet apple cherry pie!"

"Uhm... eheh..." Rainbow shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks, AJ. As much as I would love to have a sweet taste of your apple cherry pie, I got stuff to do."

Applejack exhaled. "Well, darn if you ain't the busiest of ponies these days."

"Er..." Rainbow squirmed in midair. "Yeahhhhhh..."

"Well, another time, then! You've treated me and the girls." Applejack winked as she briskly trotted away. "It'd only be right that I treat you too."

Applejack heard nothing after that, and so she suspected Rainbow Dash flew off to tackle one of her many jobs. For the moment, the farm mare was content just to enjoy the brightness and warmth of the day...

...and the fresh sound of Granny Smith's healthy voice still lingering in her mind.

Heraldic

"S'long, everypony!" Granny Smith waved from where she stood in the front door entrance to the house. The sun had gone down, and crickets serenaded the exit of several ponies marching towards the distant dirt road. "It was a real hoot havin' you around! Golden Harvest—I'll be sure to try out that recipe you threw my way, young'n!"

"Good by, Ms. Smith!"

"See you later this week!"

"We'll darn sure finish that barn for ya!"

"We'll finish it together, ya silly whippersnappers!" Granny Smith bore a wrinkly smile. When she was done smiling, she exhaled and trotted slowly back into the heart of the house. The screen porch slapped shut behind her. "Ehhhhhhh..." She winced, cracking a bent joint or two. "Mmmmm... fine bunch. Dang fine bunch." She wandered into the kitchen where several pie pans lingered—littered with crumbs—along the main counter. "Y'know, AJ... at first I had my doubts 'bout havin' so many ponies stumblin' around the farm. But they's swell ponyfolk. And they sure do have a master chef's taste for bakin'! Hyeheheh... this ol' mare's certainly learned a thang or two!"

Applejack was silent. She stood quietly in the center of the candle-lit kitchen, leaning back against the table with a thoughtful expression.

Granny Smith placed a few pans into the kitchen, yanked the pump, and began washing them clean. "What's the matter, AJ? Barn caught yer tongue?" She chuckled again. "Sure is mighty perplexin' how it fell apart like that. I know it couldn't be none of the ponies. They was doin' their jobs. Maybe Big Mac forgot a nail or two, but t'ain't like him." She scrunched her wrinkly muzzle as she gazed out the window into the starlit fields. "Mmmmm... when was the last time we ever had an earthquake in Ponyville? Hrmmmff... could be some varmint escapin' from Tartarus, but would we even feel it from this far?" She continued washing the pans and spoke over her shoulder. "Maybe we should consider a cement foundation, AJ. Just to be on the safe side—"

Applejack trotted up quietly and hugged Granny Smith from behind.

Granny Smith blinked. She placed the pans down in the sink and looked back at the mare nuzzling her. "Applejack... darlin'... I ain't hurt. Will ya relax already?"

"I am relaxed, Granny..." Applejack sniffled, holding Granny Smith close. "Celestia help me, I'm the happiest and luckiest I've ever been..."

"Awwwwwwwww shucks, will ya quit it already?" Granny shuddered. Nevertheless, she patted one of Applejack's fetlocks, smiling warmly. "I ain't leavin' ya, darlin'. Not anytime soon. Not if I can help it."

"I know, Granny..." Applejack sighed, clenching her wet eyelids shut. "I know. It's just..."

"Shhhhh..." Granny Smith tilted her chin up, smiling as she caressed the mare's freckles. "It's just nothin'. You've spent enough of yer life laborin' and frettin'. Dun let it slide back downhill now."

Applejack gulped, nodding. She cracked a tiny smile. "I won't, Granny..."

"Besides..." Granny smiled, returning back to the dishes. "...you've got a Sisterhooves Social to help plan, don'tcha?"

Plans and paperwork for this year's Sisterhooves Social lay untouched across Applejack's vanity.

The mare sat on the edge of her bed, gazing across the shadows of her room. Crickets sang and timberwolves howled in the distance.

Hatless, the mare stared at the velvet case lying on her pillow. She knew something feathery and soft lingered within, but she didn't have the energy to reach out and touch it now.

She was still shaken by what transpired earlier that day.

So, with a melancholic breath, she stepped down off the bed and trotted slowly out of the house.

Minutes later, she shuffled up the hill again.

She stood before the stones—their granite surfaces glinting in the cold moonlight.

Applejack felt to her knees. She fought the urge to sob, and eventually murmured, "You... you sent a guardian angel, didn't you...?"

Silence.

Applejack let her gaze fall to the ground. She shook a few times... heaved.

At last, when she looked up, she was smiling through fresh tears.

"This family won't shrink no more. That is a promise." A shuddering breath, and she smiled even more warmly. "Yer gonna have plenty of ponies to look after from now on. I-I guarantee it..."

She kissed her hoof, then placed it on both stones, one after another. And when the moment had leeched the last tear from her being, she turned back around and returned to the house.

Why Don't You Make Like A Tree...

Midday...

Ponyville... ...

Applejack stepped out the front entrance of a hardware store, carrying a load of lumber on her flank. She whistled in spite of the sweat and grit. At long last, she reached the wagon, grunted heavily, and—"Htttt!"—tossed the heavy load into the back of the cart. She lingered in place, dusting her hooves off and preparing to trot back into the store to carry another supply of wood.

"Hey there, Applejack!" Golden Harvest chimed as she and two other mares trotted down the street with bulging saddlebags. "Getting ready for the Sisterhooves Social?"

"You know it!" Applejack winked back with a sweaty grin. "Yer gonna show up with lil' Green Tail?"

"Hah! She's not so little any more, but you betcha!" Golden Harvest winked from afar as she passed by. "With any luck, we'll get the bronze ribbon this time!"

"Eeeyup!" Applejack tilted the brow of her hat. "Luck'and'a'half!"

"Hahahaha! You and Apple Bloom are just too good!"

"We do try! Have a good day now!"

"Back at ya!"

Applejack smiled. She turned to trot back into the hardware store...

...when she heard some pained grunting noises from the nearest street corner.

"Hmmmm?" Applejack craned her neck to look.

A panting, sweating stallion was hunched over besides a wagon. While an elder couple looked on, he fussed and struggled to fit a wheel to the corner of their vehicle.

"Htttt... grnnnnngh!..." He fumbled with a wrench and multiple bolts, attempting in great futility to fasten the round object in place. "Fuuuu... whew!" He paused, sweating up a storm. "Really is a stubborn sonuvagun, isn't it?"

"We... we appreciate the g-good ol' college try, sir," the old mare stammered.

"But... m-maybe if we asked somepony from the hardware store to lend a hoof?" the old stallion added.

"Oh! Absolutely not!" The stallion wiped his brow. "And get charged Celestia-knows-how-much?" He reoriented the loose wheel and began twisting at the wrench again. "Grnnnngh! Grnkkk!" He wheezed. "B-besides... I-I promised I'd do this for y'all for free! Httttt!"

The old couple squirmed awkwardly.

Watching, Applejack couldn't help but wince. She looked down the street, readjusted her hat, then stepped out towards the spot where the wagon was.

The stallion was really straining by the time she reached them. His grip of the wrench slipped and he fell back completely on his spine. "Oooomf!" Wincing, his blinked upside-down at Applejack with twitching, green eyes. "Uhhhhh... h-hi there..."

"Hi yerself!" Applejack smiled pleasantly. "Havin' some trouble there?"

"Oh! Hello, Applejack!" The elder mare beamed.

"I'm afraid we hit a rock and the darn thang fell apart," the old stallion said. "This feller showed up and has been... erm... nice enough to help."

"I see." Applejack nodded. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Oh, it's... erm..." The stallion grunted and sat up, pointing with a shaking hoof. "Whew... the bolts don't want to fasten in place. I wonder if the screwholes have been frayed... or something..."

"Mind if I have a go?" Applejack asked.

"Oh! Uhm... s-sure!" The stallion scooted aside, still trying to catch his breath. He blinked curiously at Applejack as she leaned in. "But, I'm tellin' ya... I've been working at this thing for a good thirty minutes now."

"Uh huh." Applejack squinted at the wheel, the fasteners, and the axle of the wagon. "Mmmmmm..." She reached a hoof out. "Wrench?"

"Sure thing!" He eagerly hoofed her the tool. A dumb smile flickered across his muzzle. "Nice hat, by the way!"

"Thanks." Licking her freckles, Applejack gave several of the bolts a few twists and turns of the wrench. Within seconds, the wheel had tightened in place.

The stallion blinked, his muzzle dropping in amazement. "Whoah! Holy cow! What did you..." He winced. "...what was I doing wrong?"

"You were turnin' the wrench in the wrong direction," Applejack said. She tightened the bolts even more and gave the rear wheel a test-spin. "Eeyup!" She smiled evenly. "That was it! But dun matter—it's fastened up nice and tight now."

"Thank you so much, Applejack!" the elder mare said with a bright smile.

"Yes..." The elder stallion looked at the other pony with a crooked smile. "And thank you for... erm... being so good-spirited."

"Heheheh..." He scratched the back of his neck. "...you're too kind. Really."

"Whelp..." Applejack stood up and hoofed the tools back to the stranger. "...that should about do it."

He took them in tired, jittery forelimbs. "Wow... talk about a life-saver! The ponies around town must really like you, Miss...?"

"Applejack," she said.

"Ha! Of course!" He grinned, wingtips fluttering. "My name's Stu. Stu Leaves."

"Uh huh." She tipped her hat one last time. "Well, I've got lots of stuff to get back to. Pleasure to make yer acquaintance."

"Heheh... sure thing!"

"So long, Applejack" The old couple waved.

Applejack smiled, waving back. "So long! Take care, y'all!" She turned back towards the hardware store, smiling ot herself. "Hmmmmm..." Teeth glistened in the afternoon sun. "...I sure do lurve this town."

Pony Cancer

"Are you kidding me?!?" Pinkie Pie squawked. "I'm gonna be busy all week!"

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww..." Applejack frowned from where she stood in the lobby of Sugarcube Corner. "With what?"

"Baking lotsssssssssssssss of banana bread!" Pinkie Pie said. "Princess Luna's foalday is around the corner, and the Royal Canterlot Committee asked us specifically to help cater! It's been said that Princess Luna loves bananas!"

"Well... ain't that a cryin' shame." Applejack sighed. "I just knew you'd be perfect for livenin' up festivities down on the farm."

"I'm super duper mega sorry, AJ." Pinkie Pie's ears and bangs drooped. "As much as I would absolutely love to party around a bunch of adorable mares and little sisters, I'm afraid I've already made my picture perfect pinkie party plans. Besides..." She smiled crookedly. "...I learned long ago that it just isn't proper to litter an apple farm with confetti!"

"Yeah..." Applejack scratched her chin. "I suppose you did."

"Heehee! Ask me months in advance next year, and I'll be sure to slip the next Social into my schedule!"

"But... ain't Princess Luna's foalday gonna be at the same time next year?"

"Nah." Pinkie Pie waved a hoof. "Have you seen the polls? She's gonna be voted out of office at this rate."

"Uhhhh... Pinkie? The Royal Sisters ain't democratically elected offici—"

"But I do hope you find somepony who can help you in my place!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Maybe Rarity can help do the decorations! Ooooh! Or get Spike to light up a bonfire!"

"T'ain't so easy to figure out now that yer out of the picture, Pinkie." Applejack shrugged with a bittersweet grin. "I was really really hopin' for a talented pony to keep the skies clear over Sweet Apple Acres."

Pinkie Pie blinked. "'Keep the skies clear?'"

"You betcha."

"Hey Applejack, do me a favor."

"Huh...?"

Pinkie gestured. "Hold your hoof out at face level."

Fidgeting, Applejack did as she was told.

"Now aim it towards your muzzle!"

Applejack slowly pivoted the fetlock around until it was facing her nose—

WHAP! Pinkie Pie shoved the farm mare's fetlock so that it collided with her own face. "YA DUMMY!" she shrieked. "There's only one pony in all of Equestria who can keep the skies clear for you!"

"Guh..." Applejack rubbed her nose, wincing. "Who? Captain of the Wonderbolts?"

"Now do me a favor and face away from this broom handle and lift your tail—"

"Wait—WAIT!" Applejack sat on her rump and waved her forelimbs. A few calm breaths, and her eyes narrowed. "Do ya mean—?"

"OF COURSE I MEAN!"

"... ... ..." Applejack blinked... then smiled. "Heh. Heh heh... alright..."

Call Upon the Dashie

“So... uh... you c-called?” Rainbow Dash stammered, standing in an open field on the edge of the Everfree Forest. “For me, that is. Just now? Like... seconds ago?”

Applejack blinked at her, still recovering from the tremors running through the ground from Rainbow's expedient arrival. "Oh, r-right. Ahem. I couldn't help but notice y'all doin' some of yer finest weather flyin' for the town as I was trotting on by.”

“Heh. Wouldn't be a ripe day for sunshine if I wasn't on the job.” Rainbow Dash flexed her muscles. “Y'know?”

“You betcha. So it got me to thinkin'.” Applejack smiled pleasantly. " What would I have'ta do to get some clouds cleared directly over Sweet Apple Acres tomorrow morning?”

“Hmmm?" Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "You mean a farm cloud clearing job? Pfffft! I could totally do it in my sleep!”

“Well, no doubt about that, sugarcube. But I reckon there's some flank-over-elbow hoops I gotta jump through with the system.”

“Buh?”

Applejack gestured. “Y'know, sendin' paperwork to the Cloudsdale Commission n'such? Reckon I didn't think about that part 'til the last second. Ya see, this year, Granny's hoofed the responsibility for settin' up the Sisterhooves Social to me. Not by her choosin', mind ya. I practically had to wrestle her to the ground before she agreed to take it easy this year. I mean, the farm's been doin' so good over the past month that it's a shame she should be stressin' over anything.”

“Right. It's all gravy!” Rainbow Dash nodded. “I'll just do a fly-by tomorrow and kick the clouds away!”

Applejack cocked her head to the side. “Just like that?”

“Just like that! No way I'd be leaving you hangin', girl!”

“Cuz..." Applejack shrugged. "I sure dun wanna get you into any trouble with the legal eagles who be runnin' the meaty—... the meta—... the macaroni—”

“Pffft. Please. Only unicorns call it the 'meteorologist business.'” Rainbow balked.

“Heh...” Applejack smiled. “Well, lucky us, eh?”

“Yes. Heeheehee.” Rainbow giggled spontaneously. “Lucky us!" She giggled some more. "Hehe! Hehehehehehehehehehe!”

Applejack raised an eyebrow.

Rainbow Dash caught her breath. "Erm... ahem.” The petite pegasus proceeded to hover in place. “So. Yeah. I'll totally do the flyby.”

“As early as possible would be a goddess-send,” Applejack said. “I reckon no later than eight o'clock. It'd be a heapin' shame if the sisters of Ponyville who showed up for the event got rained on.”

Rainbow waved a hoof. “Don't you fret a freckle off. Erm... n-not that there's anything wrong with havin' freckles...”

“Darn tootin'.”

“I'll make it the first thing I do tomorrow morning!” Rainbow Dash struck a proud pose in midair. “I'd rather be plucked and glazed before I so much as think of leaving one of my gal-pals hanging!” That said, she turned around to return to her regularly scheduled cloud kicking.

Applejack watched as the pegasus started her ascent. She felt an inch in her scalp, and her breath let her rather suddenly: "But why stop at just cloud clearin', sugarcube?”

Rainbow Dash lost momentum, flipped upside down, and swung about to gaze down at the earth pony once more. "Huh? Wh-what do you mean?”

“It's gonna be an awfully nice event this year,” Applejack said with a warm smile. The endorphins bubbled. The wires crossed. “Why don't you consider stayin'?”

“Staying?” Rainbow Dash blinked. “You mean... on the f-farm?”

“Mmmmhmmm.”

“With you?”

“You betcha!” Applejack smiled. “The kiddies are sure gonna lurve havin' the Awesome and High-Flyin' Rainbow Dash around! I bet you'll just make their day by spendin' time on the farm for most of the Social!”

“Oh...” Rainbow Dash blinked. “Oh," she uttered once more, her muzzle and face awash in bright sunlight and contemplation.. “Ohhhhh. Yeah, I guess I'm... uh... something of a crowd-drawer.”

“Heheheh!” Applejack laughed. “And we all know how much ya adore the spotlight!”

“Oh!” Rainbow Dash exhaled, grinning wide this time. “There's totally nothing better!”

“That is, so long as ya ain't got nothin' planned for the day tomorrow...”

“Nah, I'm totally game! I'd be more than happy to stick around Sweet Apple Acres for the foals!”

“Well, thanks a ton, Rainbow!” Applejack winked. “Yer a real life-saver.” Turning about, she blurted an honest truth while making the long trek back to the farm. “Whew-wee! Now I think I can actually sleep peacefully tonight!”

Social-Workers

"Rainbow Dash?" Granny Smith squinted curiously across the kitchen. "That's yer solution for gettin' all the kiddies excited about this year's Social?"

"Eeyup!" Applejack sat at the littered table. She went over paperwork and schedules for the next day's events. Several candles were already halfway melted. She was bound to have a long night of planning before the long day of managing. "She's agreed to show up for the whole dang thing. Should be a real hoot!"

"What, was Pinkie Pie booked or somethin'?"

"Turns out she was..." Applejack raised an eyebrow, squinting across the kitchen. "Why? What's the matter with Rainbow Dash?"

"That whippersnapper sure lurves to soak up the spotlight, doesn't she?"

"Heh... ponies change, Granny."

"Uh huh..."

Applejack sorted through sheets of paper. "And Rainbow? Well... she's a busier mare than she used to be... considerin' she's picked up on a whole bucketfull of responsibilities."

"It's hard to take the clown out of the jester."

"Are ya still sore about Rainbow prankin' us by paintin' the apples different colors?" Applejack asked. "If ya remember—Pinkie Pie was part of that too."

"Yeah, but she dun have wings to fly away from what she done!"

Applejack shook her eyes, chuckling. "Ohhhhhhhhhh Granny..."

"T'ain't that I dun trust the mare, darlin'," Granny said, stifling a yawn. A nightcap was looming. "Just that ya worked so hard to make the Sisterhooves Social go just right this year. Would be a real shame if some goofball showed up to turn thangs into a farce when ya depended on her."

"Relax, Granny," Applejack said. "I would never have hired her to kick the clouds clear if I thought she was gonna be detrimental-like."

"Uh huh..."

"I mean it!" Applejack smiled. "She's a whole lot more adult than she used to be! Rainbow's gonna be a pure professional. You'll see."

The next day...

"We have ourselves the winners!" Granny Smith hollered from the wooden stage. "Well... If it ain't Applejack and Apple Bloom! Yeeeeha!"

Th-Thwump!

Applejack and Apple Bloom collapsed sweatily from the far end of the finishing line.

"Whewwwwww-doggy!" Apple Bloom squeaked and grinned and panted and grinned. "Another year... another win!" She reached over and hugged her older sister. "Heee-heee! AJ, we did it!"

"Sure did, sugarcube!" Applejack ruffled the filly's mane. Still catching her breath, she grinned at the obstacle course and the remaining ponies scrambling towards the finishing line. "Hah! How do ya like them vittles, Rainbow Dash? Not so easy to brag now—" She froze in mid-speech, blinking.

"Huh?" Apple Bloom's eyes followed Applejack's gaze. "What is it that yer—?" She too froze.

Rainbow Dash was lying belly-first on the open field. While the two sisters and the rest of the Ponyvillean attendees watched, a familiar little orange scamp mounted Rainbow's backside, grasped the adult mare's mane, and buzzed a pair of wings. What proceeded was pure comedy: Rainbow Dash utilized the filly's wing propulsion to hop, wriggle, and propel her body forward at surprisingly breakneck speeds. Within seconds, the two "sisters" were outracing the other mares and making a bee-line towards the finish.

"... ... ..." Apple Bloom's muzzle dropped. "... ... ...looks like Scootaloo riding a limp seal."

"Shhhhh!" Applejack insisted.

"But look at h-how f-funny they look!"

"Their funniness is workin', Apple Bloom. Just watched—"

Sure enough, despite the awkwardness of the pairing's combo move, the two threw themselves across the finishing line, coming in second place. The gathered crowds cheered bombastically.

Applejack bore a freckled smile. From afar, she watched as I leapt onto the ground, danced in a circle, and hugged Rainbow's neck.

“Weeeeeeeeeeee! That... was so... awesome!”

Rainbow Dash stood on buckling legs. Catching her breath, she looked back at me. "It was?”

“I had no idea my wings could do that!” My voice cracked. “We really did it! We finished the race together!”

“Yeah...” Rainbow exhaled. “In second.”

“Pffft!" I rolled my eyes. "Applejack and Apple Bloom win every year!” A slight trace of salt tickled my tongue. “The same ponies who built that last hurdle a bit too high!”

“Uhhhhh...” Rainbow Dash turned to face Applejack, smiling awkwardly.

“I haven't a clue what yer talkin' about,” Applejack trotted over towards us, still catching her own breath. “But that was some fancy teamwork y'all pulled through in the end." She extended a hoof towards us. "Way to go, girls.”

“Heehee...” I jumped up—wings buzzing—and slapped Applejack's hoof. “Best day everrrrr!”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. I then watched as she locked up—eyes wide. Applejack was hugging her.

"That was a darn fine race, sugarcube,” the farm mare said. I saw her leaning back, a look of concern flickering across her freckles. "I gotsta admit, y'all had me a might bit frightened at the end.” She raised an eyebrow. “Ya sure you didn't hurt yerself or nothin'?”

I looked at Rainbow Dash.

“Uhhhh...” Rainbow cleared her throat and put on a brave smile. "Oh, you kn-know me! I bounce b-back and keep right on ticking!” She squirmed in Applejack's embrace. It was an awkward thing. If only...

“Rainbow Dash, the race is over!” I said. “You can fold your wings now.”

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...” Rainbow blushed furiously for some reason.

When Hairy Met Fuzzy

"So long, Applejack!" Sweetie Belle waved, trotting happily besides her big sister as the two made for the dirt road beyond the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres. All around them, pairs of ponies were hovering about in lazy conversations. The older siblings gossiped and chuckled while the younger sisters played games of tag and giggled. "Today was totally fun! We're definitely going to show up for the Sisterhooves Social next year!" Sweetie Belle grinned at her familiar. "Isn't that right, Rarity?"

"Erm..." The slightly sickly unicorn reached aside mid-trot and patted her sibling's fluffy mane. "Ask me again eleven months from now... and Celestia-knows after how many showers."

"Heheheh..." Applejack chuckled. She sat on the lowest seat of a makeshift set of wooden bleachers bordering the obstacle course. A warm sunset bathed her even warmer freckles in red-orange hues. "It was a real treat havin' ya, Rarity! I mean it!" She winked and shouted through her fetlocks. "Try not t'think about pill bugs along the way home!"

"Damnation!" the fashionista cursed from afar. She made a muffled wretching noise and hissed: "Did you have to remind me?!"

Applejack laughed even more. She smiled aside, tipping her hat at the ponies trotting by. "Blossomforth. Taffy Twists. Been a real pleasure."

"So long, Applejack!"

"Heehee! I love my new ribbon! It's so shiny!"

"Well, ya done earned it, sugarcube!" Applejack winked. She smiled and tipped her hat at the other ponies making their gradual exit. "Dinky. Amethyst Star. Y'all come back, now." Another grin. "Golden. Blue. Thanks a ton with all the vittles. Ain't no hospitality like the Harvest's these days." Her eyes darted aside. "Amber Hops! And... Snails?" A blink. Another blink. Applejack popped a grin. "Them's purdy dresses!" A tip of the hat. "Come back next year!"

The crowd thinned. The neighborly farmers carried with them leftover snacks, party favors, and awards won from the day's events. A farmstead that was—at one point in the day—filled to the brim with laughing, cheering, and competing mares was now a serene patch of grass, lit aflame by a softly setting sun.

Applejack leaned back in the bleachers, sighing contentedly. She plucked a stalk of hay from a nearby bale and stuck it between her teeth. A freckled smile hung beneath lazy eyes as she gazed across the amber countryside, admiring the dwindling moment like a work of art. Her teeth chewed and chewed at the stalk until they went still—like the rest of her body—dangling breathlessly from this liquid moment.

Then, from behind her, a wishy-washy voice awkwardly quoted: "The key to ingenuity is constant application of talents, even in the absence of such strengths. Through persistence and hard work, one will eventually iron out the worst of flaws. Never perfect—but always combating imperfection with sheer earnest. Eventually, one finds success."

Applejack's brow furrowed. She looked left... saw nothing. She looked right—nopony. Finally, with an inward breath, she turned and looked behind her.

A winged stallion sat on the topmost seat of the wooden bleachers, and he returned her glance with a perky smile. "Saddle Greenhooves." His teeth showed. "Inventor of the modern reinforced wagon wheel! Circa 3212!"

Applejack blinked.

"I... uhm..." He squirmed in the seat. "...I read up a lot on wagons over the past few days." He smiled nervously, his wingtips coiling tight.

"... ... ..." Applejack's eyes narrowed. "Who in the hay are you?"

The stallion blinked. "Uhhhhhhhh..."

"And that's completely inaccurate," Applejack droned.

"Huh?" The stallion's ears perked in surprise. "Did... did I get the quote wrong?"

"No." Applejack spat the stalk of hay out. "Ptooie! I mean that Saddle Greenhooves feller didn't invent the modern reinforced wagon wheel. He merely patented it first," she said. A tilt of the hat. "If ya wanna get nitty gritty about it, the modern reinforced wagon wheel was invented simultaneously in two places. One—a buncha mule servants in Trottingham. Another—over yonder in Saddle Arabia, courtesy of some wealthy Queen who fancied a better form of desert transit."

"Oh." The stallion fidgeted. "Oh wow. Uhm..." He broke a nervous smile. "I-I guess I read the wrong books. Still... it's a pretty snazzy quote, huh?"

"Eh..." Applejack shrugged. "I ain't much for speeches."

"No kidding?"

"Some ponies like to hear themselves talk. The same kind of ponies who steal others' hard work and patent it under their own name. Nah..." She shook her head. "I respect the kind of ponies who do stuff... not just speak gibberish."

"Heheheh..." He bore a genuine grin, wingtips fluttering. "I like that. I really do."

"... ... ..." Applejack frowned. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Oh! Uhm..." He ran a hoof through his bangs. "I'm Stu Leaves."

"... ... ..."

"Stu Leaves...?" He blinked. "You met me the other day? When I was trying to help those nice old ponies with their wagon?"

"... ... ..."

"You trotted up out of nowhere and fixed the wagon in—like—ten seconds flat! It was super impressive."

"... ... ...I did?"

"You don't remember?"

"Well..." Applejack shrugged yet again. "...I'm always helpin' ponies in Ponyville around. I can't rightly keep track of every good deed I do. Uh..." She winced suddenly. "Heavens to Betsy! That sounded an awful lot like braggin'. Didn't mean it that way."

"Don't sweat it!" Stu waved a hoof, chuckling. "Brag away! From what I've heard, you're one of the nicest ponies around!"

"From... what you've heard?"

"Oh! Uhm... I... uh..." Stu fidgeted, avoiding her gaze. "I may have asked a bit about you when I went to the library to read up on wagons and wagon-building."

"The... library...?"

"Yeah! There was really cute unicorn there. City type. I mentioned your name once and she just... couldn't... stop... complimenting!" He laughed. "She had an entire set of notecards prepared—listing off your accomplishments! What was her name...? Twiset Glimmer? Sunspark Glisten? I dunno. I'm new here in case you couldn't tell—"

"Why'd you go to Twilight Sparkle to learn up about wagon wheels?"

"Well... so I can know better how to fix them! This is an earth pony town, after all. Odds are I'll need to know better for the future... y'know... so I won't embarrass myself in front of a bunch of old folk again and leave them hanging. Heheheheh..."

Applejack's eyes narrowed. "Sooooo... y'all came here just to tell me that?"

"What? No! I... uhm..." Stu reached over, fumbled, and finally lifted a rattling wooden crate. "Speedy pegasus delivery!" A nervous smile. "At your s-service!"

"Pfffft!" Applejack almost guffawed. "Speedy delivery?!?" She pointed at the western horizon. "It's dang near sundown!"

"Er... I know. I just... well..." He hugged the crate to his chest, avoiding her gaze again. "I showed up with the delivery. But everypony was super busy preparing for some obstacle course run or what-have-you. Once I realized that you were the owner of this farm—and I saw you competing—I figured it would have been really un-cool to interrupt you just for a signature on a delivery form. Especially since you were having so much fun. And... well... it's my last delivery of the day, and I don't have any weather flying scheduled for this evening. So I thought... heck it... and decided to just hang out!" He smiled at the few ponies still gathered near the outer fence of Sweet Apple Acres. "Such a fantastic little event! Heheheh... and all the little sisters are so adorable. What's this thing called again? The Sissy Showdown?"

"The Sisterhooves Social," Applejack said, growling slightly. She composed herself with a crooked smirk. "You really do talk a lot, don't you?"

"Er... I suppose?" He gulped and sported a weak smile. "And 'talking isn't as awesome as doing.' Got it. But hey! I'm getting there! At least... that's what I tell myself at the start of each day."

Applejack waved a hoof. "Nopony's judgin' y'all." She pointed at the crate. "Need me to sign that?"

"Oh! Yes! Please!" He floated over, hovering in front of her and grabbing a clipboard out of his saddlebag with his muzzle. "Mrmmmff—lemmf me juddd grabbff a pennff..."

Applejack fought the urge to laugh outright. "Maybe it would help ya to place the dag-blame'd crate down."

"Mrmmfff...!" He placed the crate down on the bottommost seat and used his free hooves to fetch a writing instrument. "Good idea! Heheh... maybe you should be doing my job!"

"I'd need wings for that."

"Or you could just jump really really high!"

"I... you..." Applejack shook her head, breathing through a dumb smirk. "What?"

"Forget it." Stu smirked, hoofing her the pen and clipboard. "Super old Cloudsdalian joke. It's just as stale as it sounds, I suppose."

"Mmmhmmm..." Applejack signed her name across the bottom of the delivery form. "So... yer from Cloudsdale, huh?"

"Uh huh! Born and raised!"

"I heard somethin' about weather flyin'. Yer one of the new cloud kickers?"

"I guess you could call me that."

"Heh... seems like we're gettin' more and more of you feathered folk by the bushel!" She hoofed him back the clipboard and smiled. "Y'know, one of my best friends is from Cloudsdale. Two of 'em, actually."

"Really?"

"Eeyup. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash."

Stu Leaves grinned wide. "You know Rainbow Dash?!?"

Applejack leaned back, ears folded. "Uhhhhhhhh... yeah?"

"Eheh..." He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry. She's just... hers is a name I've heard about a lot in town as well. Even your librarian friend Skyscape Spritzle couldn't stop talking about how amazing she was. Now I learn that you both know each other! Heh... small town." He winced. "Er... not that there's anything bad about Ponyville being 'small.'"

"Heheh..." Applejack folded her forelimbs. "At least you get some of my friends' names right."

"Well, yours is hard to forget," Stu said, gesturing at the amber-tinted countryside all around them. "Considering you actually work on a citrus farm and all."

Applejack did a double-take, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks. "Beg yer pardon?"

"Uhhhhhhh—"

The hairs on the back of Applejack's neck bristled. "Do these trees look like they grow apples and lemons?"

"Er... n-no...?" He leaned back, suddenly sweating. "But... apples are citrus, aren't they?"

"Tartarus, no! They ain't citrus!"

"They're not?"

"They're pomaceous fruit, ya silly varmint!" Applejack barked. "Citrus is sour-like and rich in vitamin c!"

"Yeah! And apples are too, right? Only sweeter?"

"... ... ...You really know nothin' about apples, do ya?"

"They... uh..." Stu Leaves trembled slightly. "...taste good?"

Applejack performed the first of many... many face-hooves.

Listen to the Apple Talk

"It's more than just 'green' and 'red' and 'golden delicious,'" Applejack spoke emphatically, gesturing with her hooves. "There are dang-near eight thousand known varieties of apples spread all throughout Equestria! Grown from hundreds of different types of trees!"

"Uh huh..." Stu Leaves nodded, seated across the bleachers from her. He watched her intently, listening. "How many types are grown here?"

"Five," Applejack quickly answered. "Zap-apples—which is native only to this part of Equestria. Then there's Central Valley Red Macintosh. East Everfree Green. And three variants of Golden Delicious."

"Super snazzy!"

"But we mainly grow crops of the Central Valley Red—which is why ya see the trees all around us in the four main fields dappled just so. Well... less so now, cuz we done bucked a major harvest over the past month."

"Uh huh. Hard workers!"

"You bet yer feathers! Now—the Golden Delicious apples are more rare, and we use 'em mostly to make the cider."

"Cider?"

Applejack gasped. "You haven't heard of the Sweet Apple Acres' regular Cider Season?"

"Uhhhhhhhh..." Stu Leaves cracked a worried smile. "Should I have?"

"Mrnnnnngh..." The fuzzy tips of Applejack's ears turned red. "...every year—just before Autumn—we squeeze the Golden Delicious harvest to its last drop and mix it with Granny Smith's secret recipe until it tastes just right."

"Really? What's in the recipe?"

"I ain't tellin' ya! That's why it's secret!"

"Hahah—of course."

"Anyways, it's about the second most popular event that happens here on the farm, just behind the Sisterhooves Social, of course. We attract ponies from far and wide—even from Fillydelphia! Loads of folks show up to camp out in line and enjoy a mug or two. We even hold outdoor concerts and make it all festive-like."

"Wow. Sounds spectacular!"

"Dang straight it is! But I pride myself more on the zap-apple jam harvest, seein' as it's awfully hard to serve up the stuff."

"What's so hard about jam?"

"Yer kiddin' me, right?"

"I... just figured 'Zap-Apple' was a brand name. I saw some bottles for the stuff in one of the local antique stores. Still had the 'Barnyard Bargains' label on it."

"Eugh...!" Applejack rolled her eyes. "...dun get me started on Barnyard Bargains."

"Whoops." Stu winced. "Wrong nerve?"

"Anyways, let's get back on track. Zap-Apples..."

"Right."

"Once a year—about early spring or so—the Timberwolves start a'howlin'. That's the first sign that the magic in the earth is gettin' ripe for sproutin' zap-apples."

"What's... uh... a Timberwolf?"

"Celestia Almighty! You really are a clueless colt, ain'tcha?"

"Th-there's not much land in Cloudsdale to grow anything, much less sustain wolves."

"Yeah—but you got books, don'tcha?"

Stu Leaves smiled. "Not with adorable unicorns in them!"

"Well, lemme explain it to y'all. Ya see... Timberwolves are enchanted natural constructs of wood—all shaped canine-like."

"Uh huh..."

"My own Granny Smith was the first Ponyvillean settler to encounter 'em. She had ventured deep into the Everfree Forest to try and discover some hocus pocus secret for growin' crops all well and fine in the local soil. Well, one night, all of a sudden..."

Shootin' the You-Know-What

"And that's why you never use yer own fertilizer for growin' local crop!" Applejack smiled proudly. "Turns out, if you ingest the fruit harvested from the land, you stand to risk ringworm infection!"

"Ah jeez..." Stu Leaves coiled his wings tight. "I was foaled up in the clouds. We don't get worms up there."

"Hrmmff. Consider yerselves lucky."

"However, we do get the feather flu and wing-rot." He gulped. "Nasty stuff."

"Anyways, back to apples."

"I thought we were talking about fertilizer and worms."

"It's all apples," Applejack said firmly. "One way or another, it's all about apples."

"Heh... I hear you."

"So... you can lend locally... uhm... 'collected' fertilizer to other parts of Equestria and the farmfolk there will be able to grow and harvest with it just fine. But you dun ever wanna mix local fertilizer into yer own soil. A proper biologist might be able to explain it. Somethin' to do with 'magical acclimation' in conjunction with one's own immune system, I suppose. It's a long-winded explanation."

"And you like to do. Not talk."

"Right. So, anyways, mule and cow fertilizer is a completely different story. I dunno if it's because we're all different species or what, but you can toss that around like it's no big deal and you can grow your apple trees up right quick!"

"Just pinch your nose shut while you do it!"

"Heheh... darn tootin'. Zap-Apples? That's a different story. They dun respond to any natural fertilizer. At least... not average natural."

"Supernatural?"

"You wanna know what my Granny learned?"

"Heheh... do I?"

Applejack smirked. "Hydra fertilizer."

"What's a hydra?"

"Big stompin' monster with a buncha heads. Lizard-like. Lurves to gobble up ponies."

"Holy smokes." Stu gulped. "And they live around Ponyville?"

"Well... nearby. Boggy Bottom Bog. I ran into one once."

"To gather fertilizer?"

"Hah! Nah... I ain't that brave. Or stupid. My great-grandpappy, however? Once Granny told him what she discovered, he actually had to stake the Bog and wrangle a hydra down himself! Whew-wee! Ponyfolk were made out of sterner stuff back in the day! Lemme tell you..."

"Soooooooo... how do you... y'know... 'collect' from the hydras now?"

"Eh..." Applejack shrugged. "...we import from the Lower Canterlot Zoo."

"Ah. Of course."

"Super expensive stuff. But we manage." Applejack smiled. "It's worth it if it means growin' the Zap-Apple Trees all good and proper. I mean... they can do without the hydra fertilizer, but it somehow puts in the extra spark that makes the fruit so delicious-like these days. Adds the extra kick, so to speak."

"Wow... you really know the ins-and-outs of apples!" Stu Leaves smiled wide. "Even magical apples!"

"That's what I'm tellin' you!" Applejack turned and gestured across the farm. "This here's the unsung apple capital of all of Eques—" She froze in mid exclamation, blinking. "Land's sakes!"

The sun had completely set.

All of the attendees of the Sisterhooves Social were gone.

Night had fallen, and crickets serenaded the two neighbors chatting on the bleachers.

"Where did..." Applejack grimaced. "How long...?"

"Uhhhhhhhh..." Stu peeked a look at a pocket watch hidden in a pouch of his saddlebag. "...two... and a half hours?"

"Whallop my wither!" Applejack tilted the brim of her hat down to hide her wincing expression. "I didn't even notice!" She frowned at him. "Why the heck didn't y'all say somethin'?"

He flinched. "I was afraid to! You just..." A nervous smile. "...seemed so happy talking about apples!"

"Well, it's yer fault for bringing it up!"

"Heck..." He shrugged. "I don't mind!"

She blinked. "You don't?"

"I-I certainly learned a lot today!" A warm-hearted chuckle. "Like... for instance... apples aren't citrus!"

"Yeah, and what else?"

"... ... ..." Stu Leaves squirmed slightly. "...don't use your own fertilizer?"

"Gnnnnghhh..." Applejack leaned forward, cupping her chin against her fetlocks with a tired smile. "Celestia have mercy... you really dun have much goin' on upstairs, do you?"

"Well, I just moved in," Stu Leaves remarked. "Haven't had much time to furnish the loft."

Applejack's muzzle scrunched. "Huh?"

"Back in Ponyville." Stu gestured nebulously past the nearest fence and treeline. "I've got an apartment flat above a swell family—my landlords. But I sorta showed up in town rather bitless, so I'm taking my sweet time in setting things up. Scrimping, y'know. Not that a pegasus is used to having earth pony furniture. Everything we have in Cloudsdale is either built out of cloudstone or it's magically enchanted by airship visiting unicorns to float on clouds and..."

Applejack stared at him.

He stared back. "... ... ...wait. You're... you're talking about my head, aren't you?"

"Snkkkkkt..." Applejack rolled off the bleachers and beat the ground with her hooves. "Hahahahaha!"

Stu blushed a deep shade of red. "Yeah, well..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "...guess... uh... I-I'm having to work on furnishing that also..."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh boyoooooo..." Applejack sat up, wiping tears from her eyes. "Yer a real hoot, Steve."

"Stu."

"Whatever."

A Stupendous Evening

"Listen, Stallone..."

"Stu."

"Stu, I'm mighty sorry," Applejack said, trotting towards the front gate of Sweet Apple Acres. She slowly escorted the stallion to the dirt road leading into Ponyville from afar. "Here you came in the mid-afternoon just to do a regular delivery, and I done kept you far past sundown!" She grimaced. "Talkin' about apples!"

"It's quite okay!" Stu Leaves smiled. He tucked his clipboard into a saddlebag and folded his wings to his sides. "I could tell you were enjoying yourself!"

"Well, still... t'ain't not excuse for wastin' yer valuable time..."

"What's wasted?" Stu shrugged. "I learned a lot about apples! Plus—on the side—a whole buncha stuff about farming that I didn't previously know!" He smiled pleasantly. "I only want to fit into this place now that I'm here, and a big part of that is learning what makes the local farmsteads tick! And—if I must say so, Miss Applejack—you're a tick above the rest!" He chuckled, chuckled some more, then sighed. "That's... uhm... that's a joke—"

"I know what it was," Applejack droned. "If you want some good advice..." Her muzzle hung open. She hesitated... then ultimately shook her head. "Naaaaaaaah."

"What???"

Applejack waved a hoof. "It's a mite bit insultin'..."

"Insult me! I can take it!"

"Errrr... what?"

"Besides, I inadvertently insulted apple farming once or twice earlier, didn't I?"

"More like four times."

"Haha! Anyways, I'm sure I probably deserve it." He winked. "What's some good advice for me?"

"I... was gonna say 'stick to yer day job.'" Applejack winced. "But that sounds awfully cruel, does it? Yer obviously fixin' to learn more about anythang and everythang."

"You never know until you ask!" Stu said. "Thanks to you, Miss Applejack, I know a lot more about wagon-fixing and apple farming!"

"Yeah... well..." Applejack blew out the side of her muzzle. "Ain't much to knowin' about apples until you go out into the field and buck and pluck 'em!"

"Well..." Stu scratched his chin in thought. "...there's one way to fix that."

"Yeah?"

"If you ever need a helpin' hoof one of these days..." His wingtips flapped and he smiled. "...feel free to drop me an invite!"

Applejack's brow furrowed in the moonlight. "Yer invitin' me to invite you to come work on this here farm?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Stu gulped nervously. "Is that what I'm doing?"

"It's a mighty fine offer, Stu, but—and please dun take offense to this—"

"How can I?" He chuckled warmly. "I've got a day job!"

She smirked. "But I've already got plenty of local farmers and sharecroppers whom I've been askin' for help every once in a while. They all have experience. When it comes to harvest time, we gotta get fruit out of them trees mighty fast. I just... dun really have the time to pick ponies who've been foaled outside the farmin' scene. Not unless I'm in a real pinch, and then I'd be hollerin' at my friends to come on over. Does that make any sense?"

"Heh... absolutely." Stu nodded. "And I wouldn't wanna step on any fetlocks."

"Well, that's mighty neighborly of ya."

"But if you need help with anything else—!"

"Oh lawd... seriously?"

"Totes serious! Even if I'm from Cloudsdale, I'm fixing to be a good Ponyvillean neighbor!" He tilted his head up with a proud smile. "So—call on me if you ever need any winged help."

"Can I ask ya somethin'?"

"Sure."

Applejack tilted the brim of her hat back up. "How come yer such a goody-goody smilin' colt? Is it somethin' in the water where yer from? I mean... the only pony I know with this much cheer bakes sugary treats for a livin'. But what's yer excuse for bein' so squeaky and smiley?"

Stu weathered a long sigh. When he next looked at Applejack, it was through an honest—albeit tired smile. "Nothing makes me happier than feeling useful. I wanna..." He cleared his throat. "I need to do good by my fellow ponies here in Ponyville. It's... very important to me."

"It must be to make you wanna leave yer home."

"Heh..." Stu shrugged. "'Home' is simply where you're destined to be, Miss Applejack. It's as simple as that."

Applejack blinked at him. Her ears tickled to the sound of familiar leaves rustling in a familiar wind. She smelled the scent of apples in the air and it made her tremble for the first time in years. "Reckon it is simple, isn't it?"

Silence.

"Well..." Stu waved, turned, and trotted off. "I best be off. Have a wonderful evening, Miss Applejack—"

"Ain't you..." Applejack suppressed a snorting laugh. "Ain't you gonna fly?"

Stu paused slightly in his shuffle.

"I mean, ya do have wings, ya silly varmint!"

"... ... ..." A sweet smile flickered between them for one final moment. "I think I'll enjoy trotting at an earth pony's pace this evening," he said. "I already like everything else that they've taught me today." A final flick of the tail, and he vanished beyond the bend.

Applejack shook her head with an amused smirk. Eventually, she too turned and vanished... this time towards her house.

Breakfast With Wrinkles

Morning at Sweet Apple Acres...

Granny Smith stood—bright and awake—in the kitchen. A pleasant aroma wafted through the household as she loomed over a skillet of flapjacks that she was preparing.

With the creak of hoofsteps, Applejack trotted down the stairs and into the room. The mare stifled a yawn and blinked in the elder's direction. "Mmmmm... mornin', Granny."

"Good mornin' yerself, AJ," Granny Smith returned without a touch of exhaustion.

"Shucks..." Applejack blinked at the gray light rolling in through the window. "I didn't sleep in or nothin', did I?"

"Eeenope." Granny Smith shook her wrinkly face. "It's plum early as ever."

Applejack stood on wobbly legs, fidgeting. "... ... ...then just what are you—?"

"Fancied makin' breakfast for everypony for once," Granny Smith said.

"Oh." Applejack blinked again. "Ya didn't have to do that."

"Of course not. I wanted to." Granny Smith snorted while making more pancakes. "Besides... you spent the entire week and all of yesterday workin' hard on the Sisterhooves Social. Seems only proper that I pay ya back for givin' me a breather."

"Awwwwwwww... Granny..." Applejack smiled. She trotted behind the elder and nuzzled her gently from behind. "It was my pleasure to do that! And it turned out to be a mighty fine event. Dun ya think so?"

"Ain't sayin' it wasn't, darlin'," Granny said. "Just that you've been workin' mighty hard and you could do to have a breakfast made by somepony else for once."

"Well..." Applejack strolled limply around the kitchen, hung on a tired smile. "It's mighty nice of you. I'd hate to turn down yer kind offer. Whew..." She stifled another yawn. "...Reckon I have been missin' sleep somethin' awful as of late."

"Mmmmhmmm..." Granny grasped a spatula and turned over a splotch of pancake batter. She freed her muzzle to murmur over her shoulder: "Especially after last night."

Applejack shuffled to a stop. Her brow furrowed, and she aimed her confused freckles in Granny's direction. "I'm afraid I dun read you."

"You was up real late last night," Granny Smith said. "Must have been a really swell conversation."

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"Not that I mean to pry, but I hafta ask..." Granny's ears twitched. "What's the feller's name?"

Silence—save for the sizzle of broiling pancakes.

"He's just some ditzy pegasus who knew nothin' about apples."

"Uh huh." Granny Smith nodded. "So Miss Hooves' has a brother in town?"

"What?! No! He's not that mare's brother!"

"Then who is he?"

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr..." Applejack's cheeks went red as she frowned. "He ain't nopony!"

"Uh huh..."

"I mean it!" Applejack tilted her chin up. "We was just havin' a friendly conversation."

"Eeeyup. Reckon it was."

"Was what?"

"Mighty friendly."

"Grnnngh... y'know what, Granny?" Applejack stumbled out of the kitchen. "I'm gonna go check on the livestock. Give a holler once the pancakes are ready, will ya?"

Granny Smith hummed quietly to herself. After a while, she slid open the kitchen window to the sound of chickens clucking outside. She hollered to the orange shape milling about the coop: "Is he seein' anypony else in Ponyville?!"

"I'm feedin' the chickens, Granny!" a voice cracked outside.

Granny Smith chuckled to herself and returned to her pancakes with a mischievous smirk.

Fixer-Upper

"Mrmmfff... grnngh!" Applejack heaved barrels of apples off her cart and onto the supply area of the train station. Panting for breath, she paused to swipe her brow before moving onto the next bushel.

"Hey! Applejack!" Amethyst Star trotted by, carrying a saddlebag of things. She smiled at the farm mare. "Excellent Social yesterday! Dinky couldn't stop talking about it! Fell asleep with a smile on her face!"

"Good to know, sugarcube!" Applejack waved back with a smile and continued lugging the barrel. "Rnnngh... come back next year, y'all!"

"You bet on it!"

Not long after, Blossomforth flew low overhead. "Applejack! Thanks for the great time yesterday! Seems like it gets better every year!"

"It was only good cuz ponies like you showed up!" Applejack managed between heaving grunts. "Best wishes to you and yer family!"

"Thanks a million! You're the greatest!" And Blossomforth flew off beyond view.

Applejack pushed the last barrel into place and caught her breath. As a stallion worker approached her, she grasped a pen and signed off on a clipboard.

"Sounds like everypony had a real hoot at the farm yesterday, Miss Applejack," the pony said with a smile.

"Mmmmmhmmmm..." Applejack signed off and spat the pen out. "Everythang went like a freshly-sharpened plow. Couldn't have asked for better weather, either."

"I heard Rainbow Dash kicked the clouds clear."

"Heh... yeah..." Applejack bore a sweaty smile. "She dun good by the farm. In some way or another, everypony pitched in mighty fine. Makes me dang proud of this town."

"Well, lemme know when there's a Brotherhood Bangarang and I'll be the first to volunteer some baked good or something!"

"Pfffft..." Applejack snicked. "What kind of a name is that?"

"Hehehe... I said I'd do the baking." The stallion winked. "Better hire somepony else for the namin'."

"True that. I'll talk Big Macintosh up about it sometime. I bet that'd be a mighty fine event."

"Granted, there'd be a lot less qualifying participants, but still..."

"Eh, who's keepin' count? We all exist to have fun at some point or another."

"Amen to that. I'll make sure these apples get on the next train to Trottingham."

"Thanks a million." Applejack tilted her hat and made to leave with the cart. "You take care of yerself now."

"Will do, Miss Applejack. Enjoy the rest of your day."

Applejack hitched herself to the wagon and left the train depot. She had crossed no more than two blocks when she heard a familiar voice. Neck craning, she turned the corner and looked down the street to where a winged stallion was kneeling beside a parked carriage.

"You really don't need to trouble yourself, sir," an old pony said, shifting nervously. "I'm just a five minute trot away from the repair shop. I'm sure I could get one of them to fix the wheel for me..."

"Nonsense!" Stu Leaves said. He licked his muzzle as he slid the wheel into place, affixing it to the axel of the vehicle. "It's a quick fix! Let's save you some bits, why don't ya?"

"Well, I'm all for saving money. But... I-I also wanna make sure that my wagon's repaired properly..."

Applejack sighed hard, rolling her eyes. With tired motions, she unhitched herself from her cart and prepared to trot over and save the day—

"There we go!" Stu Leaves exclaimed. Leaning back, he pushed the wagon off its temporary supports and rolled it harmlessly a few feet down the street. "Good as new!"

Applejack stopped in place, blinking.

The old stallion was no less surprised. "Wow..." He pushed the carriage back and first, grinning with joy. "Even the old squeak is gone!"

"Eeyup!" Stu Leaves smiled with pride. "Had to grease that baby up! Felt like it had been a long time. That's probably why the old supports got corroded."

"And you just happened to have spares?"

"Heheh... let's just say it doesn't hurt to be prepared."

"What do I owe you, good sir?"

"Nothing! Just a smile and a wave will do!"

"Well, if this town doesn't fail to surprise me... even at my age..."

"Heheheh..." Stu Leaves bowed ever so slightly. "...wouldn't be in the spirit of Ponyville to ask for anything."

"No. I reckon not. You're a real life saver."

"Only because I learned from the best."

Applejack gazed at the scene for a few moments. With a sigh of relief, she turned to go back to her cart. That's when she heard:

"Say!" Stu Leaves' voice chirped brightly in the air. "Didja know that apples are twenty-five percent air?!"

Applejack immediately spun around. She blinked towards the conversation in disbelief.

The old stallion lingered by the wagon, rubbing his chin. "Why... uh... no. I didn't. How's that a thing?"

Stu Leaves shrugged. "Just one of nature's curious secrets. It's why apples float on the top of a barrel of water."

"Like durin' apple-bobbin' games."

"Right!" Stu grinned, his wingtips fluttering. "And did you know that apples have a special acid that can help brighten teeth? What's more, you put 'em in a bag with other fruit and it'll help ripen them faster!"

"That's... uh... mighty interestin'... uh..."

"There's over eight thousand types of apples grown all across Equestria!" Stu Leaves said with a proud smirk. "And—you know what? Five of the most delicious types of 'em are grown here in Ponyville!"

"Ya dun say..."

"Over yonder in Sweet Apple Acres!" Stu Leaves winked at the stranger. "For a real treat, go and have yerself a sample! You won't regret it! Honest!"

"Lemme guess. Should I tell 'em you sent me?"

"Pffft. Nah. Just figured a fellow neighbor deserves to have their day sweetened, and that's the best way around these parts to do so." Stu Leaves saluted and flapped his wings. "Well, enjoy your new ride! I gotta go kick some clouds!"

"Best of luck to ya, sonny."

"Thanks! You're too kind!" Swooooooosh! Stu Leaves flew off.

"... ... ..." Applejack watched from a distance. She narrowed her eyes... then looked at the freshly-fixed wagon... then back at the patch of sky where Stu vanished. A crooked smile crossed her muzzle... and she slowly shook the humor off her tired lips. Gaze lingering, she nevertheless turned and went back to her wagon.

It's Raining Morons

Two days later...

"Look out belowwww...!"

Ponies' gasps echoed across the marketplace. Random Ponyvilleans looked up, flinched, and dove for cover. A loud whistling sound broke the air, accompanied by a thin shadow that was growing thicker... larger.

At last, Applejack's ears perked to the sound. She turned from her produce stand where she was selling apples that morning and faced the falling shape in the center of the road. She winced at the last second, muscles locking in place—

"Gaaaaaaa—" TH-THUD! A flailing, feathery body ricocheted off a tree branch, pinballed off a balcony, and slammed into a row of garbage containers in a side alley perpendicular to the marketplace. Craaaaaash! "Oooof!" A stallion's twitchy figure lay sprawled out amidst a fresh sea of garbage. "...whew!" He waved a hoof limply from where he reclined on his aching back. "I'm okay! No need to c-call the fire brigade! Owwwwww..."

Ponies rushed to the scene, huddling around the figure. By the time Applejack trotted over, Stu Leaves was being helped up onto his hooves. He teetered dizzily while random mares and stallions patted his shoulders.

"You okay there?"

"That was quite a tumble!"

"Anything broken?"

"Heheh..." Stu Leaves smiled crookedly, winking. "Only my ego! Owww... and m-maybe a ligament or two. Uhhh... thanks for your concern! I'll live!"

Up above, Thunderlane and two more pegasi dipped down, hovering in place. "Whoah there, noobie!"

"You okay?!"

"What'd we tell you about watching out for those downdrafts?"

"That wind came out of nowhere!" Stu Leaves' voice cracked as several of the villagers trotted off. He tried flexing his wings but could only wince. "For crying out loud! Was a dragon flying overhead or something?"

"Hah! No dragon, buddy! It's like we told you! There are downdrafts to be on the lookout for!"

"Nothing like that ever spawned in the troposphere around Cloudsdale!"

"That's because Clousdale almost always hovers over an open plain, ya doofus!" Thunderlane chuckled. "We're in the shadow of the Canterlot Mountains! Gusts blow occasionally from the northeast! When we holler for you to lift—you'd better lift!"

"Ohhhhhhhhh..." Stu winced, trying to flap his aching wings again. "Well—lesson learned! Lemme just—ow—climb back up and lend a hoof—"

"Not on a sprained wing, you aren't!"

"But I'm good! Honest!"

"Tell you what..." Thunderlane pointed. "Rest up for a day or two, dude." He and the other weather fliers ascended. "We'll help you pick up from where you left off."

"Awwwwwww! Come on!" Stu pouted. "I can fly straight! It's just a slight bruise! I promise!"

"Tomorrow, Stucky! Consider it an order from your supervisor!"

"It's Stu!" Stu stomped his hoof. "And for crying out loud! I can't afford a sick day—owowow..." He hissed through his teeth, nursing his wing.

Applejack watched silently. She heard an earth pony or two scoffing from behind.

"Pfffft... friggin' dumb turkeys."

"They sure order them bird-brained these days, huh?"

"Yeah! Too bad he didn't crash-land into the Everfree Forest. Rid himself of his own misery!"

"Hahahaha!"

As the crowd finally dispersed, Applejack stood in place, gazing about in a contemplative manner. She tongued the inside of her muzzle, breathed, then trotted briskly towards the stallion. "Looks like you took quite a tumble there, partner?"

"Mrmmmfff..." Stu looked up from where he was aggressively preening himself. He blinked innocently. "Huh?"

"Heheh..." Applejack stood before him, smiling. "You doin' okay there, Stu?"

"Oh. Thank Celestia!" He rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Somepony who actually knows my name!"

"Well, when you fall from the sky like an anvil, it certainly adds punctuation."

"Geeugh..." Stu coiled his wings in tight, wincing. "Must you rub it in?" He sighed. "Isn't it enough that I almost could have crushed some random villager's skull with that dumb plunge? Guh..." He rubbed his forelimb. "...dang it. The delivery job. If I can't fly..."

"When's... yer next shift?"

"Mrmfff... tomorrow afternoon."

"Seems like the wise thang is to follow Thunderlane's advice," Applejack said. "Rest yer wings and be on the mend."

"But... but I hate that!" Stu hissed.

Applejack blinked. "You hate gettin' better?"

"No! I..." Stu paced about in an angry circle, cheeks huffing and puffing. "...I hate being..." He grimaced. "...feeling useless! Sitting on my butt is like the worse feeling."

"So..." Applejack tilted her hat back and stroked her chin. "I'm guessin' yer fixin' to spend yer mendin' time doin' something productive?"

"Yeah. But... I doubt I can find any quick jobs to do over the next twenty-four hours."

Applejack smirked through her freckles. "Can't ya?"

He gave her a dumb look. "Huh...?"

Fruit'n'words

"Where do you want 'em?" Stu Leaves asked. He was referring—of course—to the empty baskets in the back of the wagon... the wagon he was hitched to... for he was drawing the wagon over the hill and towards a row of orchards at Sweet Apple Acres.

"Just park it in the middle of the grassy lane," Applejack said, pointing along the row of trees. "Then get the baskets out—one by one—and place them at the base of every third tree."

"Oh... alright!" Stu Leaves trotted over, drawing the wagon. He nevertheless raised an eyebrow. "Why next to every third tree? Aren't you trying to catch the fruit once they fall?"

"Sure thang! But as full of apples as these trees are, them's some large baskets. They can each hold up more than three trees' worth. So the point is to place them at the trunk of one tree, kick it clean, then push the basket over to the next two while buckin'."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"It's all very efficient-like," Applejack explained. "Once you get into the swing of thangs, it makes sense."

"I bet it does!" He smiled, bringing the wagon to a halt. Unhitching himself, he reached into the back of the vehicle and grabbed the first of many baskets. "Any particular side of the tree I should place them on?"

"Just wherever," Applejack said, pointing. "If I need to, I'll move it to the appropriate position once the buckin' begins."

"Alrighty!"

"Aw come on, Stu!" Applejack pouted. "You can do more than that, can'tcha?"

"Huh?"

Applejack marched over and placed a stack of five baskets atop her flank. "See? Lug 'em in groups! So long as they're empty, they should be a slice of pie! You get to make less trips back and forth between the orchard and the wagon this way."

"Oh! Oh sure!" Stu nodded. "That makes sense!" Licking his lips, he faced the wagon again, then reached up and hoisted nine baskets onto his flank. He immediately winced and groaned, sweating from all the weight.

"Ah shucks..." Applejack grimaced. "Dun take on too much now!"

"I... th-think I can handle it!" Stu Leaves wheezed, stumbling over to the treeline and depositing them one at a time. "The weight... isn't all that bad... ow!" He coiled his wings tighter. "Ow ow ow ow—"

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing!" He smiled under a curtain of sweat. "I'm good!"

Applejack glared. "Dun be lyin' to me now..."

"Just brushed up against the bad wing. But I-I can manage! Live and learn! Hahaha—ow."

"Oh... well... uhm..." Applejack fidgeted. "Just dun be messin' them feathers up, ya hear? I wouldn't rightly live with myself if I ended up masturbatin' that injury of yours."

Stu Leaves laughed.

Applejack blinked. "What?"

"I think the word you're looking for is 'exacerbating,'" Stu Leaves said. "Besides." He tossed her a coy wink. "I don't think we're quite that close of friends yet."

"... ... ..."

"Uhhhh..." Stu fidgeted slightly, leaning against the wagon under a curtain of sweat. "You do know what the other word means, right, Miss Applejack—?"

"I know what I know!" Applejack snarled, suddenly heaving ten baskets onto her backside. "Now go about puttin' them barrels beneath the trees, ya hear? We're already late into the afternoon and there are many apples to buck!"

"Oh! Totally!" Stu Leaves leapt into action. "Wowee... I-I didn't know we were facing a schedule!"

"Uh huh..." Applejack faced away from him... if only to hide her insanely reddening muzzle.

"Either way, I'm so very happy that you've given me this opportunity to learn first-hoof about harvesting apples!"

"Uh huh. That's good and fine, Stu."

"After all, farming is life for the locals around here, and if I wanna gel with the Ponyvilleans, I need to know as much as I can about working with the nearby crops!"

"I hear ya—"

"I read up on the history of Equestrian Apple Farming since we last talked! Did you know that Hoof McSeedicle was the first mule to start her own farm in the Fillydelphia province—?"

"Just shut yer trap and do the work, Stu!" Applejack spat out the side of her blushing muzzle. "Damnation!"

"Haha! Whatever you say, Miss..."

Applejack huffed and puffed... although she smirked slightly to herself beneath all the sweat.

Stu, Yo

"Htttt!" Applejack spun and slammed her hooves into the trunk of a tree.

Stu Leaves' eyes reflected the red fruit falling neatly into a barrel below. He whistled with approval.

"Whew..." Applejack tossed her mane, straightend her hat, and turned to face the stallion with a smirk. "Now. Did y'all notice what I did?"

"Uh huh." Stu nodded, sitting prim and proper on the lawn of Sweet Apple Acres. "You kicked the tree really, really hard!"

Applejack opened her muzzle... rolled her eyes... and face-hoofed. A surly breath later, and she droned: "I aimed my hooves high. Notice how I avoided kickin' the trunk too low to the ground?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—yeah!" Stu smiled crookedly. "Sure!"

She squinted at him.

He leaned back, sweating slightly.

"Ahem..." She trotted over, stood beside the stallion, then pointed at the tree. "The closer you kick the tree to its roots, the less likely you are to shake the entire trunk proper."

"Okay..."

"Cuz if you kick that low, then you're aiming too close to its anchor to the earth. You gotta aim above its center of gravity so as to cause the most shakin' and vibrations."

"I see..."

"It's physics, ya reckon?" Applejack smiled. "Pegasi understand physics, dun they?"

"Not... really..."

Her brow furrowed. "What."

"I mean... sure! Those of us who are super gifted in flight may know a thing or two about proper wing tilting and wind resistance and all that jazz," Stu said. A shrug. "But I'm no Wonderbolt. Like most pegasi, I've just... felt flight in my bloodstream. It's innate, y'know? Flight school is all about... pulling all of those genetic gifts out of us at a young age!"

"Huh... reckon that makes sense."

"Just like how earth ponies know everything about trees and plants and seeds and... mud—"

"That's a stereotype!" Applejack hissed, teeth showing.

Stu flinched. "Err... which part?"

"I know nothin' about mud!"

"... ... ..." Stu craned his neck, looking across the farm. "Don't you raise pigs over in a pen over there—?"

"THAT—" Applejack composed herself, standing tall and proud with eyes shut. "...is just a necessity of livin' on the farm."

"Alright."

She folded her forelimbs. "Them's the mud experts. Not me."

"Okay."

"I ain't no mud pony."

"Okay."

"... ... ..." Applejack squinted an eye open. "Seriously, I ain't."

"I believe you, Miss Applejack."

"Rnnnngh... dun 'Miss Applejack' me!"

Stu Leaves chuckled. "How would you want me to refer to you?"

"Anythang but a mud pony!"

"I-I didn't say that you were—"

"Mehhh... forget it." Applejack cleared her throat loudly and pointed at the next trunk. "Now... go face the tree."

"Who, me?"

"No. Your Aunt Birdy back in Cloudsdale! Who else, ya varmint?"

"A-alright!" Stu Leaves stood up with a smirk. He squinted over his shoulder as he trotted towards the tree. "Y'know... not all pegasi have an 'Aunt Birdy.'"

"Just face the tree, Stu."

"Uhhhhhhhh huh..." Stu Leaves fidgeted in the shadow of the apple tree.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Everythang okay?"

"Sure! I... uh...." Stu squirmed and squirmed, looking at the tree from multiple angles. "Huh..."

Applejack sighed, trotting over. "What's the problem, Stu?"

"Just... uhm..." He looked at her. "Which is the tree's face?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you told me to face it and... I-I dunno which part of the tree is its face."

"It's a tree, Stu. It ain't got a face."

"It doesn't?"

"No sir."

"So... trees don't have butts either?"

"They don't—what..." Applejack's eyes crossed as she shook her muzzle. "What in tarnation have you been munchin' on before you came here? It's a tree! Not... grnngh... a cow!"

"Sheep have butts. And they're not cows."

"Trees dun have butts, Stu."

"Really?"

"Honest to Celestia."

"... ... ...then where does the sap come from?"

Applejack face-hoof'd. "Goddess, give me patience." She reached over, grabbed his shoulders, and yanked him towards the tree until he was facing its southern edge. "There!" She exhaled. "Now yer facin' it!"

"This is the best part of the tree, then?"

"Yes." Applejack pointed. "The roots are evenly placed in the ground perpendicular-like to where yer positioned."

"Ahhhhhhh..." Stu nodded. "...so there is a face."

"So to speak. You can tell by the consistency of the soil."

"The soil."

"That's right."

"Not the mud."

"Grkkk—!" Applejack sneered through her teeth. "Who's teachin' who, here, huh?!?"

"Heheheheh."

Applejack folded her forelimbs with a huff. "Alright, ya dag-blame'd jester. Face the tree with yer flank and give it a mighty buck, why don'tcha?"

"With... my rear hooves, right?"

"Ask any more stupid questions and you'll be usin' yer noggin."

"Hooves it is, then." Stu Leaves pivoted about, held his breath, and kicked. "Hrnnngh!"

THWACK!

"Whoahhhhh—!" He wobbled all over before falling onto his chest. "Ooof!"

None of the fruit fell.

"Hah!" Applejack smirked. "What did I tell ya about aimin' low, you varmint?"

"B-But..." He coughed and sputtered, stumbling back up to his hooves. "I thought I was aiming high!"

"Eenope!" Applejack gently brushed him aside and approached the tree herself. "Yer throwin' yer balance off to keep yer front hooves stable. Ya gotta trust in the tree to keep yerself from fallin' over. It might feel awful silly to aim as high as I do, but once you get the feel for it... you'll realize that you and the trunk are on the same team and yer workin' together to get the trees down. Watch!"

That said, she swiveled and gave the trunk a mighty buck. WHACK!

Apples fell cleanly to the basket below. Stu's eyes reflected their fall yet again.

He whistled in approval.

"Like I said!" Applejack stood on all fours again. "Team effort!"

"Pretty snazzy!"

She pointed at the next tree. "Now you give it another try."

"Alright..." Stu cracked his neck joints as he approached the trunk. "Team effort. Team effort. We're on the same side. We're on the same..." He pivoted and kicked high. "...team!" His hooves struck nothing but air, and suddenly he was standing completely upside down, teetering on his front limbs. "Whoah! Whoaaaaaaaaah! Gaah!" His feathertips fluttered at the last second as he performed a flailing front-flip and—

Thwump!

—Stu Leaves landed butt-first in the basket with his legs splayed awkwardly out on all sides.

"Guhhhhhh..."

"Heheheh..." Applejack stood over him, snickering. "Hate to break it to ya, Stu, but ya dropped the wrong fruit in the basket."

Stu blushed. He tried crossing his legs, but the positioning made it impossible. "Yeah. Uhm... I'll work on that... grnnnngh!" Using his wings, he threw himself forward. He landed on his knee joints with his butt still stuck in the basket. The pegasus stallion resembled a hermit crab, shuffling around across the lawn. "Rmmmnngh... unnngh... uhm..." He sweated as he shook and struggled to shimmy out of the constricting "shell." "...hold on a second. Nopony panic."

"Awwwwww shoot..." Applejack teetered back, laughing.

"I can fix this! I can fix this—just... rnnngh..." Stu crawled and shimmied in a circle, smiling in spite of himself. "Might need a few minutes... or hours..."

Applejack fell on her rump from the force of her guffaws.

Must Be the Work of An Enemy Stu!

"Hrnnnngh!" Stu Leaves swung his rear limbs into yet another tree.

And—yet again—barely a third of the fruit fell into the basket.

"Unnnnnngh come onnnnnnnn!" He slumped to his belly, covered in sweat, leaves, and the flakes of tree bark. "Rnnnnnnnnnngh!"

Calmly—barely breaking a sweat—Applejack carried yet another basket full of apples to the cart positioned atop the nearest hill. "I hate to sound awfully drill-sergeant-like, but you'd better get a move on there, partner." She gestured at the orchard around them. "I've already done three lines of trees and you haven't made much progress at all!"

"Miss Applejack..." Stu Leaves wheezed.

"Call me 'AJ.'"

He gulped, shaking sweat loose from his mane. "AJ... I j-just don't have the gift for this," he stammered. "Not like you do! I mean... I'm trying to do it just like you showed me, but... b-but I haven't gotten the gift! Unlike you, I don't have the m—"

"Dun you dare say 'mud!'"

"I was gonna say 'magic touch.'"

Applejack nodded. "Fair enough. But you just need to try a bit harder."

"Unnff..." He fanned himself with his own feathers. "I'm just not cutting it, AJ."

"Now, what kind of a spirit is that?" She approached him, eyebrow raised. "The Stu Leaves I know is all about learnin' and adaptin' so that he can make friends with everypony in Ponyville. Dun tell me you've given up on bein' that kind of go-getter stallion!"

"I haven't given up! It's just..." Stu Leaves lingered in place. His brow furrowed contemplatively.

Applejack blinked. "What?"

"I... I wanna try something," he said, hovering above the ground on flapping wings. He threw her a humble expression. "That is... if that's okay with you, AJ."

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." She thinned her eyes curiously. "...sure?"

Taking a deep breath, Stu Leaves hovered up until he was at level with the lower branches of the apple tree he had been working on. He levitated in place, slowly spinning around until his hooves faced the tree.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Applejack cocked her head to the side. "What in tarnation are ya—?"

"Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Stu Leaves proceeded to rapidly pummel the uppermost portion of the trunk with blurring hooves. "Ya-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta!!!"

Applejack clenched her teeth until her molars nearly cracked. She planted her front hooves over her ears and grimaced all over. "Guhhh! Stuuuuu! What in blazes do you think you're—?!"

"Wa-taaaaaaaaaa!" Stu gave the tree one final buck with both hooves. He hovered backwards, limbs vibrating from the intense impact. And...

...his efforts were rewarded with all of the fruit falling free and landing in the baskets.

"... ... ..." Applejack blinked, eyes wide.

"Ha!" Stu swiped the sweat from his brow and smiled down at the mare from where he hovered. "Check it! All in the basket!"

"What... in Tartarus... was that...?"

"It's... uh..." Stu blushed slightly. "...something I read in a Japoneighs Comic somewhere."

"Excuse me, what?"

"Doesn't matter. Basically..." He pointed at his wings. "Pegasi are super good at doing stuff the agile way! Let's face it, Miss AJ. You're stronger than me."

"Just AJ, thanks."

"AJ, you're stronger than me." He landed with a wink, folding his wings at his side. "So, I just can't hit a tree trunk as hard as you can! I'm not an earth pony! I haven't got the m—"

"Ehhhhh—!" She pointed at him.

"I was going to say 'mettle.'"

Applejack lowered her hoof. "Dang skippy ya were..."

"Soooooo... the way I see it..." He pointed at the trees. "If I just kick the trees my way, then I can get all the fruit bucked clean in no time!"

"Dun tell me you gotsta make that ridiculous chipmunk shrieking noise every time you go at it?"

"Yup!" Swooooooooooooosh! Stu flew to the nearest tree. "I'm gonna do the whole orchard, now! Weeeeeeee!

"OH NO YOU DUN!" Applejack hollered, jumping and swiping after him. "GET BACK HERE, YA VARMINT!"

Stu Is as Stu Does

"Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww..." Stu Leaves lay flat on his back between two apple trees, surrounded by a sea of fallen fruit. His limbs were limp and his muzzle contorted in a sore, pained expression. "Owwww-wow-wow-wow-wow-wow!"

Meanwhile, a freckled apple mare trotted calmly up the nearby hillside from the farmhouse, carrying a tray with a tall pitcher full of ice-cold lemonade. She placed it down before the stallion's stinging red fetlocks. Sighing through a tired smile, she turned around three times before reclining on the grass beside him. Applejack gave Stu a long, thoughtful, knowing gaze.

"Sooooooo..." She leaned her chin against her fetlock. "...what did we learn today?"

"We learned..." Stu wheezed. His lower hooves shifted and he instantly whimpered in pain. "...that my tree-bucking method totally sucks!"

"Mmmmhmmmmm." She calmly poured a glass of lemonade. "And just why is that?"

"Kicking... a tree... a trunk of wood that rapidly is... is..." Stu whimpered again, his forelimbs curling up to his chest. "...m-m-murder on my hoofsies."

"Hah! Listen to you! Talkin' like a little colt who's taken his first shot at the doctor's office."

"I feel like I've galloped over broken glassssssss."

"Maybe now you'll understand why the earth pony method is tried and true!" She finished pouring the glass and held it up in the afternoon light. "It's not just about learnin' to buck the tree right... but to find a manner of kickin' that you can pace yerself with... not go flyin' around and screamin' like a moron while strikin' every dang branch and bark of wood in sight!"

"But... b-but I got so much done in so little time!" Stu wheezed. He lifted a sore red hoof just long enough to point at the fallen apples around him. "I mean... look at that!"

"Stu, you dun bucked only three trees."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." He whimpered, curling his forelimbs to his chest again.

"And look at you! You look like you've done fought both the Unicornia and Pegasopolus armies with yer teeth and lost!"

"Isn't it... t-too early in the year for Hearth's Warming m-metaphors?"

"T'ain't the point, ya varmint. You gotsta learn to buck trees right! Or else you'll never click with the local farmers of this here earth pony town. Ya hear?"

"Yes, Miss AJ. I hear."

"Just AJ, darn it! Now here..." Applejack held the glass out to him. "Have yer dang refreshment already."

Stu Leaves reached for it. He grasped the cold glass in his sore fetlocks for a full three seconds before the ice-cold thing slipped through and spilled its contents all over his belly. "... ... ..."

"Snrkkkkkkkkk!" Applejack rolled over, nearly knocking into the pitcher. "Hahahahahahah!"

"Unnnngh..." Stu moaned, rolling his eyes at the blue sky overhead. "Isn't there an ancient Equestrian tradition about shooting a winged horse once it's become lame?"

"Whoahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh nelly...!" Applejack sat up, adjusting her hat with a red-faced smirk. "You really are hopeless, ain't ya?"

"Please..." Stu Leaves wheezed. "Dun rub it in."

"Here, darlin'." Applejack picked the glass back up, shook its moisture loose, and brought it back to the pitcher. "I'll pour you another.'

"I don't deserve another," Stu muttered.

"Now dun get all mopey!" Applejack briefly stuck her tongue out. "Yer just a bit clumsy, is all."

"A bit?"

"But yer persistent. And I know for a fact that you eventually do learn from your mistakes." She cleared her throat. "Be it a hill of mistakes... or a dag-blame'd mountain."

"You..." Stu tilted his head up from the grass. "...really think there's hope for me?"

"Ain't about hope. It's about an honest effort to improve." She looked at him. "You really wanna learn how to buck trees proper, don'tcha?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She squinted.

"Erm..." He smiled nervously. "Yes, AJ."

"Then follow my example and no more messin' with the formula. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Good." She hoofed him the glass of lemonade again.

He reached for it... winced... then reached for it some more.

"Here." She scooted over in the grass and tilted the glass towards his muzzle. "Allow me."

He gave a humble nod, then opened his lips as she poured the drink lightly into his muzzle.

She studied his expressions—his features—making sure not to pour too much. There was something familiar about the gesture she was performing. Something sisterly... motherly. She couldn't help but smile. "There..." She held the glass back. "Think you can get back on yer hooves?"

"I do now." He sat up with renewed strength. After a breath, he used his buzzing wings to lift himself upright. "Thanks, AJ. Very friendly of you."

Applejack blinked, her smile fading. "Well, of course!"

He trotted limply towards the treeline to get back to work.

She fumbled after the stallion. "I mean... why wouldn't it be friendly?" He didn't respond right away, and for the first time in an hour, Applejack was sweating more than him.

A Full Day's Work

"Hrnnngh!" Stu swung his rear hooves high and into the trunk of an apple tree.

The branches shook. The leaves rustled.

And the apples...

Th-Th-Thwap!

Over a dozen of them fell into the baskets arranged at the base of the trunk. Stu had lopped most of the fruit off the tree in one buck.

"Whew-wee!" Applejack sat against the wagon and clapped her forelimbs together. "Way to go, partner!"

"Yeah..." Stu Leaves slumped over and swiped the sweat from his brow. "But..." A gulp. "... I didn't get them all down."

"To be honest..." Applejack trotted towards him, winking. "Most ponies can't."

"But you clean the entire tree of apples with a single kick just about everytime!"

"Rightly so." Applejack smirked. "I ain't most ponies."

Stu Leaves nodded. "Yeah. I guess not."

"Realistically, it takes multiple bucks. But if you practice and practice and get it just right..." Applejack gestured at the treeline behind them that had already been bucked clean. "Then you can get it all done efficient like and never have to second guess yerself."

"Why not... y'know..." Stu shrugged. "...train me just to do it like most ponies can manage to do?"

"If all you wanna do is settle for average in this life then you're never really learnin' or achievin' or growin' or any of that stuff."

Stu nodded. "You make a good point." He smiled at her. "Thanks, AJ. It's good to be taught by a mare like you... somepony who's too good for settle for anything."

"... ... ..."

"Should I put the apples onto the cart now?"

"Huh?" Applejack snapped out of it. "Oh. Dun bother. I'll take care of what's left."

"What? Why?"

Applejack pointed at the hillside. "Take a gander."

Stu Leaves did—and he had to squint. The sun was coasting towards the horizon and it cast a bright orange sheen over the lengths of Sweet Apple Acres.

"Wow..." His wingtips fluttered. "We really did spend all day on this part of the farm." He winced. "I'm awfully sorry."

"Sorry?" Applejack cocked her head to the side. "What in the hay for?"

"Cuz I wanted to help you with the harvest!" Stu Leaves gestured. "And instead, you focused so much on teaching me how to properly apple-buck. In the end... we barely got anything done for you and your family."

"Oh shucks..." Applejack waved a hoof. "Do you have any idea how well the farm is doin' now? How many apples I've done bucked in the weeks leading up to this moment?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"I'm gonna be doin' fine, Stu. Besides... I feel mighty proud of the progress we made. The way I see it: the more ponies who know about handlin' apples proper the better the world off."

"I guess..." Stu Leaves swallowed. "Even still... I really feel bad about the unbucked trees."

"Please don't."

"Tell you what!" He hopped up onto all fours and smiled at her. "I'll come on by tomorrow morning! Bright and early!" He gestured. "I'll kick the rest of the apples free and then you won't have to worry about catching up after how slow I've been!"

"It's no big deal, Stu," Applejack said. "Besides... I'm gonna be busy tomorrow."

"You will?"

"Mmmhmmm." She nodded, moving towards the apple baskets. "We dun enough teachin' and learnin' today. I'm afraid that tomorrow just ain't gonna cut it."

"Awwwwwwwww..."

"Dun be makin' that face! We'll settle for sometime next week or the week after!" She saluted in his direction. "That's a promise."

Even Fuller

The very next morning...

"You're doin' fine, Stu!" Applejack paused to say before kicking at a line of trees once more. "Httt!" Apples fell, punctuating her speech. "Dun be ashamed if it takes two or three bucks to do it! Just keep aimin' high and applyin' the force that I toldja to!"

"Got it! Htttt!" Stu Leaves kicked a tree and filled a basket beside him. "Hah! I got them all this time! See?"

"No time for showin' off!" Applejack carried a basket to the cart. "You wanted to help me so help me."

"Boy... I'm sure glad I ran into you outside the market an hour ago!" Stu Leaves smiled as he rushed to another tree and placed a basket under it. "It's like I said! You can call on me anytime to help you! Except for when I'm delivering the mail... or... erm... kicking clouds..." He winced slightly. "Sooooooo I guess it's not exactly 'anytime,' but 'most of the time.' But my 'most of the time' is more frequent and available than most ponies 'most of the time,' so I guess that's pretty close to 'anytime,' at least by Ponyvillean standards, so—"

"Will ya just kick the dag-blame'd apple trees?!" Applejack hollered. "Dayum!"

"Ahem! Right!" Stu swiveled and swatted the nearest trunk with his rear hooves. "Kicking!"

Apples fell.

Applejack returned to the orchards. She caught his flailing figure in her peripheral. She shook her head with a casual, sweaty smirk.

Elementary, My Dear Stu

The next afternoon...

"Frightenin'?" Applejack wiped sweat and grease off her forehead. She lay underneath a wagon that had been propped up on concrete blocks near the entrance to her barn. "Well, I suppose she was. I'd reckon the words 'fabulously villainous' would better describe her. The small brown wrench, please."

Stu Leaves fished through a toolbox and hoofed her the appropriate tool. "But... she's Nightmare Moon!" He leaned down to get a better look at the mare working on the underchassis of the vehicle. "Everypony in Cloudsdale says that she had fangs like a vampire! And she could suck the light out of a room with just a wave of her hoof!"

"Did any of them folk from Clousdale actually see Nightmare Moon with their own eyes?"

"Well..." Stu Leaves fidgeted. "...no."

"Well, there ya have it!" Applejack smiled sweatily as she twisted a bolt or two. "Tall tales for high-flyin' bird ponies! Heheheh..."

"But... she had to have been intimidating in some fashion!" Stu Leaves practically wheezed. "She delayed the sunrise for hours on end!"

"Well... reckon she was mighty good at bein' all creepy and shadowy," Applejack declared, wiping her brow again. "As for the fangs... it was a mite bit unsettlin' at first. But—the longer you stared at 'em—the more she resembled a big ol' kitty cat."

"Pfffft!" Stu Leaves chuckled. "Now you're just messin' with me!"

"Only cuz yer so plum easy to mess with." Applejack pointed at her work. "You've been payin' close attention?"

"Yes! Or... uhm... I think so."

"Rnnngh..." Applejack face-hoofed, immediately regretting it. She had a fetlock-sized smear of grease along her forehead now. "Dag nabbit..." She shifted the brim of her hat back. "Do ya at least know what the next step is?"

"Yeah. We test the firmness of the axle and then we attach the wheels."

"Hah! Shows how much you know!" Applejack grinned wide. "Next step is... uhm... erm..."

"... ... ...?" Stu Leaves cocked his head to the side.

Applejack silently tongued the inside of her muzzle. At long last, she coughed. "Reckon we t-test the firmness of the axle next."

"H-hey!" Stu Leaves grinned wide. "I was right!"

"Don't rub it in."

"Rub what in?"

"Rnnngh... just give me a hoof, will ya?"

"Oh! Sure thing!" Stu Leaves squatted low, reaching in to steady the frame while Applejack smacked the wrench along the length of the axel. Together, they listened to the tonality of the metallic strikes. "Soooo... uhhh... what's all this I've heard in town about the 'Elements of Harmony?' I hear they can blow the roof off of buildings with a single swipe!"

Peddle to the Mettle

The afternoon after that...

"Thanks for yer purchase!" Applejack tipped her hat and curtsied slightly in an apron. "Have a nice day! Y'all come back now!" She pivoted back towards the location of her apple stand in the Ponyville marketplace. "For the last time—Stu—how many times do I have to tell ya? Keep a lid on the whole 'Element of Honesty' thang!"

"Why, though?" He grinned wide, wearing a matching apron. He polished several specimens of fruit with his feathers and layed them out on a wooden stand facing the crowd of milling villagers. "The whole town knows about it! It's how I found out! Besides..." He winked at her. "It's a selling point!"

"Well, I beg to differ!"

Stu Leaves blinked. "Uhhhhh... being the 'Element of Honesty' is not a good selling point...?"

"Dang it!" She stomped her hoof. "I ain't aimin' to be a braggart! I do a lot of hard work to make sure my apples are the most scrumptious in the land! I want my produce to speak for itself!"

"Well, nothing wrong with that, but—"

"But nothin'!" Applejack frowned. "Believe it or not, vanquishin' Nightmare Moon ain't got nothin' to do with bein' a good farmer or harvestin' good fruit so I dun see why I gotsta—" She suddenly paled. "What in tarnation are ya doin'?"

"Sh-shining the apples all nice and pretty for the st-stand—!"

"Yer doin' too much shinin'!" Applejack practically leapt for the fruit, shoving him aside. "Rub 'em anymore and you'll smoosh what's under the skin!"

"I was only using my feathers—"

"But you ain't usin' yer noggin'! At least what's left inside that hollow skull of yers!" Applejack stifled a groan. "Honestly, yer harder to work with than Apple Bloom!"

"A thousand apologies, AJ." Stu bowed nervously. "Mental note: No bragging, no shining, no Apple Blooming—"

"Dun be sarcastic!"

"But I wasn't—"

"All you stallions are all alike! Ya gotta charge at things hard-headed and prideful! Big Mac used to be just the same—before he closed his trap. Unlike a certain pegasus feller I know."

"Uhhhh..." Stu Leaves winced. "...my bad?"

"Rnnngh..." Applejack rubbed her muzzle. "It's no biggie. You've just... you've just gotta find some middle-ground, ya feel me?"

He smiled crookedly. "Guess it takes earth pony gumption to find any ground."

"No, it takes experience and learnin'." Applejack cleared her throat, relaxing slightly. "For what it's worth, I appreciate all the help you've been givin' as of late, Stu. I really do."

"Hey! I'm benefiting from it!" He smiled. "Believe it or not, it's had a positive impact on my other jobs!"

"Other jobs? They're yer only jobs. I'm not payin' you for this, remember?"

"Heh... if you say so."

"Besides. I'm a busy mare." Applejack tilted her freckled chin up. "We've had ourselves a lil' learnin' streak, but I'm afraid I'm gonna be too busy tomorrow to afford showin' you any ropes."

"Awwwwwww... you sure of that?"

"Positively..."

Stew, Evening

As the following evening came to a head...

"Hahahaha!" Stu Leaves slapped his knee from where he lingered near the Apple Family's front porch. "You seriously said that?!"

"Pffft..." Applejack waved a hoof. "Big whoop. Dang near surprised me anyways that nopony in Manehattan had even heard of a 'rooster.' But it's not like I was bein' improper or nothin' in dinner conversation. I was speakin' in that hoity-toity accent that Aunt and Uncle Orange had taught me, after all. I was doin' my darnedest to fit in"

"Nopony berated you for the peculiar topic, I hope."

"Not at all! But—boy howdy did I feel like a dag-gum fool!" Applejack sighed, staring across the darkening fields with a lethargic smile. "Just what is or isn't 'proper' for cityfolk talk?! It's all so dang confusin', and stumblin' over myself just made me feel... feel..."

"Alienated?"

"I was gonna say unsophisticated."

"Pffft!" Stu Leaves shook his head. "Get out of town. You're the most sophisticated pony I know."

"Uhm... no offense..." Applejack arched an eyebrow his way. "But from the sound of thangs... I'm the only blasted pony you know in this town."

"You're mature. You're strong. You're responsible." Stu smiled her way with a wink. "And you know how to look after yourself and maintain a healthy household. If that isn't 'sophistication,' then I don't know what is. Manehatteners can go get bucked sideways."

"... ... ..." Applejack blinked. "Wow..."

"What?" Stu shrugged. "I mean no offense to your Aunt and Uncle Orange, of course."

"Reckon not. It's just..." Applejack tilted her hat back, fidgeting slightly. "Can't say I'm rightly used to... used to..."

"Being complimented?"

"Not... n-not quite that, just..." Applejack chewed on her bottom lip, suddenly avoiding his gaze.

Stu shrugged. "So? You've got good friends. I bet they compliment you all the time."

"Yeah, but t'ain't the same."

"How so?"

Applejack coughed. She stood up from the edge of the porch with sudden purpose. "It's gettin' mighty late. We've gabbed enough."

"We have?"

"Eeyup!" She curtsied. "I've gotta go wash up."

"Ah. Cook dinner for the fam." Stu smiled. "I get it."

"It was awfully nice hangin' out... again." Applejack chuckled slightly. "Reckon we got a lot done."

"No we didn't."

"We—" Applejack fumbled over her own words. She stared blankly across the fields, reconnecting her mind with the lucid moment. In truth, she couldn't remember the last time she had done a chore that day.

Stu filled in the blanks. "I showed up to help with painting the west end of the barn. We started talking about your trip to Manehattan and... well... here we are... I guess...?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"Not th-that I mind! I mean, I can totally learn about barn-painting another time and—"

"Gotta go, Stu!" Applejack spun around and marched firmly into the house. "See ya!"

"Oh! Yeah!" Stu smiled, waving awkwardly. "Uhm... catch you next time, Miss Applejack!"

"For the last time—"

"AJ! Sorry... sorry, AJ..." He backed away sheepishly, ears folded.

"Goddess alive..." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Can't learn ya anythang permanent in that thick skull."

"Eheheheh..." And he vanished along with the lingering daylight.

Inside, Applejack trotted past Granny Smith in the kitchen.

"Heya, Granny..." Applejack muttered, breezing by the pantry. "I'll be servin' up vittles in a second."

"Dun ya worry, darlin'," Granny said, hovering over a steaming stove. "I'm already fixin' a pot of stew."

"... ... ...?!?" Applejack leaned back, pupils shrunken. "What in tarnation...?!" She grimaced. "But... b-but I've got a handle on supper, Granny! You can leave it to me!"

"AJ, if I left it to you, we'd end up starvin' tonight!" Granny said with a slight chuckle. "But t'ain't no matter. I knew you was busy socializin'..."

Applejack looked nervously out the window. "How... when..." She fidgeted. "How late is it?"

"Dun worry. Apple Bloom's finishin' up homework and I'm about done." Granny Smith tapped the ladel against the edge of a pot and hummed to herself. "Only fittin'. You've been workin' so hard the past few months, accomplishin' loads for sure. Let me lend a hoof every now and then."

"Well... th-thanks, Granny..." Applejack sighed, adjusting the brim of her hat. "I dun know what came over me."

"Yer given the gab. It's quite alright." Granny Smith winked out the side of her peripheral, bearing a wrinkled smirk. "Not that bad of a catch, either."

"Granny..."

"Hyeh hyeh hyeh hyeh...!"

Applejack's freckles burned. "Granny..." Applejack leaned against the kitchen counter with deliberate purpose. "He's just a feathered oaf lookin' to learn about earth pony livin'. I'm teachin' him a few thangs and he's helpin' out with the farm in turn."

"Reckon he is, darlin'."

"Besides... with Big Mac spendin' so much time with Fluttershy as of late, it's only natural that I get some extra assistance on the side to help fill in the gap."

"Big Mac ain't the only apple doin' some 'time-spendin' these days..."

"Eugh..." Applejack tossed her fetlocks, turned around, and trotted briskly upstairs. "I'm gonna go get washed up."

"Be sure to knock on Apple Bloom's door along the way, darlin'," Granny Smith said.

"Sure thang!"

The elder remained in the kitchen, stirring the broth. She glanced up the stairs, blinking. A slow smile crept across her face yet again as she put on the finishing touches to the family meal.

Me, Myself, and Apples

"Hey! Scootaloo!"

I blinked. I looked up from my overturned scooter. I was in the middle of tightening a wheel along the sidewalk when I saw Applejack trotting casually my way, drawing a wagon full of livestock feed.

"Howdy there, partner!" she said with a brilliant, freckled smile.

"Oh! Hey, Applejack!" I smiled, waving a hoof. "How are you?"

"Doin' just fine and dandy!" She scuffled to a stop with the wagon rattling behind her. She gave me a wry grin. "Yer lookin' bright-eyed and bushy tailed! Did school let out early?"

"Uhhhhh..." I stifled a chuckle. "It's Saturday."

Applejack blinked, looking honestly surprised. "Oh." A slight squirming. "Well, imagine that."

"I'm surprised Apple Bloom didn't tell you," I said, returning to the wheel. "But... heheh... she's probably sleeping in. Just like Sweetie Belle."

"To be honest, I haven't noticed. Time... uh... time's been gallopin' by mighty fast as of late."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Nice day out, though, huh?" Applejack grinned yet again. "Lemme guess... yer waitin' for Rainbow Dash to show up and kick the skies clear."

"Eh... nah."

Applejack blinked. "No?"

"She's out of town at the moment."

"... ... ...she is?"

"Uh huh."

"Uhm... what for?" Applejack readjusted her hat. "Is there some Wondercolt Convention in Fillydelphia or somethin'?"

"Wonderbolt," I corrected. "And she's just..." A shrug. "...running errands, I guess. She's really busy these days."

"Oh. Well that's a shame."

"Nah, I don't think so." I looked up and smiled at her. "It just means she's doing good things for good ponies somewhere across Equestria! I mean—no job is too big for Rainbow Dash!"

"Reckon yer right."

"I'm totally right! Plus, it's cool... we got to hang out sooooooooo much during the Social! And she's gonna teach me new flying lessons once she shows up in town again!"

"Wow... she is?"

"Yeah!" I felt my tail waving. I fought the urge to giggle. "First thing I'm gonna do once I'm airborne is buzz Sugarcube Corner! Haha! All of the soda cans are gonna burst from their shelves! I just know it!"

"That's gonna cause one heck of a mess."

"Okay. So maybe I'll buzz Town Hall instead. Still... Ican'twait! Ican'twait! Ican'twait!" I looked at the clock tower towards the southwest edge of town. "Whoops! Gotta jet!" I turned the scooter over, strapped on my helmet, and hopped aboard. "Comic book's opening soon!"

"Wow... I didn't know you or any of the Crusaders read comics."

"Hah! Where've you been, Applejack? Sleeping under a rock?"

"Uhhhhhh..."

"Just kidding! I don't care!" Swoooooooosh! I zoomed off down the sidewalk in an orange blur. "Byyyyyyyyyye!"

Applejack waved a lazy hoof. "Take care now..." She bit her lip, readjusted her hat, and pulled her wagon towards the opposite end of town with a muddled sigh.

Pinkie Keeners

"Nope nope noperooni!" Pinkie Pie twirled from behind the front counter of Sugarcube Corner and slapped down a veritable stack of cake boxes. "I haven't seen Dashie around in a baker's minute! Ya see..." She leaned forward with a wink. "...that's like a lazy dozen of minutes plus one. Hyperbole atop hyperbole! Hehehe! Ohhhhhhhhh I love being semi-self-employed."

"Uh huh... but..." Applejack shifted left and right as a random customer leaned in, placed the stack of cakes on his backside, and dropped a hearty amount of golden bits onto the bakery counter. "Just how long does a 'baker's minute' amount to in reality?"

"Why?" Pinkie Pie smiled, blue yes blinking innocently. "Is Dashie being chased down by cake time cops?"

"What?" Applejack leaned back with a raised forelimb. "No! I was just wonderin'—"

"Because that could be baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!" Pinkie's pupils shrank to panicked pinpricks. "If two identical cakes made contact with one another—splorrrrrrrch!—instantly reduced to time cake goo!" A few blinks later. "Which—in hindsight—would make for a pretty killer sweet baking challenge! 'Which cupcake with the chronotonic cake goo frosting is the most tastiest?!? On your mark! Get set...!'"

Applejack sighed through a freckled smile. "It's relaxin' to know that at least you haven't changed a bit, Pinkie."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh gurrrrrl..." Pinkie waved a forelimb, winking. "Relax them withers, will ya? Sure, Dashie's busy these days... but she's still our Dashie!"

"I can't even remember the last time y'all did one of them crazy pranks of yers around here in Ponyville," Applejack stated.

"Is that an invitation?!" Pinkie grinned psychotically. "Are those apples of yours beggin' to be bathed in plaid again?"

"Uh. Er." Applejack took a nervous step or two back. "No." Her ears twitched. "But... I reckon it would be swell to see y'all havin' fun once more... like you used to."

"Just us?"

Applejack fidgeted in place.

"Anyways, it was really-really fun engaging in hypothetical baking thought experiments with you, AJ, but I gotta get back to my work orders!" Pinkie gestured dramatically. "I've got a mile high request of mile-high-lemon-fudge-surprise-cakes! If I don't get on that, then ponies are gonna start making their requests in kilometers of lemon fudge! I'll be royally screwed! Right fudged, as it were! Heehee!"

"Well, you get back to that, now..." Applejack waved and trotted off. "Ain't nothin' I appreciate more than..." She exhaled out the side of her muzzle. "...a good day's work."

Rarijackulation

"I really hope this ain't no inconvenience, Rares," Applejack said.

"Oh, none at all, darling!" Rarity squatted before her table and sewing machine, working on a piece of partially-knitted fabric. "I am always able and willing to work on all-important outfits for my friends!" she sing-song'd. "Or—in this case—active winter wear for my friend's sheep dog... ahem..." Her bifocal'd eyes darted briefly out the sunny window. "...months before the first flake of snow."

"Yup. Uh huh." Applejack leaned forward, tilting her hat back. "So you seen Rainbow Dash around at all lately?"

"Rainbow... Dash...?" Rarity suddenly went two shades paler. "Now... what... makes you think... that I've seen... our darling athletic companion... lately?"

Applejack raised an eyebrow at Rarity's awkwardly mechanical tone. "Isssssss there somethin' yer itchin' to tell me, Rarity?"

"Ahem. Whatever gives you that idea, fair Applejack?"

"Because you always stiffen up like a cow with rigor mortis whenever yer not-so-secretly dyin' to 'fess up somethang."

"Mmmmmmmmmm...!" Rarity bit her lip to contain a bursting smile. The fashionista looked right.

Applejack looked right.

Rarity looked left.

Applejack looked left.

At long last, Rarity swiveled around and motioned for Applejack to scoot closer.

So... Applejack scooted closer.

Rarity shimmied towards her. Once she was in whisper range, she cupped her fetlocks around a pair of marshmallow cheeks and wheezed: "I... have... reason... to... believe... that... our... beloved... Rainbow Dash... is... starting... a... brand... new... exciting... chapter... of... her... young... feminine... life...!"

"Y'all dun say?" Applejack marshmallow'd back. "Is she finally joinin' the Wankycoots or somethin'?"

"Nothing of the sort! Oh, Applejack, you just won't believe it!"

"Believe what?" Applejack groaned breathily. "Consarn it, Rarity. Enough with the melodrama already..."

"I have reason to believe..." Rarity's eyes sparkled. "...that Rainbow Dash has finally found the stallion of her dreams!"

"... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..." Applejack blinked. "... ... ... ...oh yeah?"

"Mmmmmmmmmm!" Rarity was nearly bouncing up and down. "Don't tell anypony. Buttttttttt..." She looked left and right for one final measure, then melodically squealed: "She had me fashion a dress for her! Rainbow Dash! Our Rainbow Dash! And I made her a most smashing ensemble that would absolutely throttle a respectable gentlecolt on his hooves!"

"Yer tryin' to tell me that our..." Applejack grimaced in mid-speech. "...that Rainbow Dash wanted a dress? And she wanted you to make her one?"

"Indeed! She even posed and modeled it for me! Such commitment! Such intense purpose! I'm telling you, Applejack, the moment has finally come! She's smitten!"

"... ... ... ... ...huh..." Applejack's eyes darted off into the pearlescent distance of the boutique. "That seems so... so..."

"Wonderful, isn't it!"

"Well..." Applejack gulped. "Reckon it is." Her eyes darted back to Rarity. "Assumin' she's happy and all."

"Well, you know Rainbow Dash..."

"Do I?"

"...always so frightened of embarrassment. Quick to deny the most basic of truths. Afraid of revealing her vulnerable side." Rarity laughed. "In so many ways, darling, she's the opposite of you!"

"Yeah..." Applejack straightened her hat. "R-Reckon so..."

"She wouldn't come out with the truth through her muzzle, but I can tell..." Rarity's eyelashes fluttered. "A true lady can always tell. Her heart has been seized by the love bug. And I haven't seen her since!"

"Haven't... seen her...?"

"Ever since I fashioned her that dress, she's been missing! I'm telling you, our beloved Rainbow Dash has eloped!"

"Eloped? You mean... like them William Flankspeare characters?"

"I mean like a happy young blooming mare throwing caution to the wind and embracing the passion and exuberance of a romantic life." Rarity sighed dreamily. "... ... ...but—that's Rainbow's business and not ours, hmm?" She winked as she returned to the sewing job. "Best not to spread rumors... but you and me, Applejack? We're friends. And there's no rumors between friends."

"Right." Applejack swallowed dryly. "No secrets either, I reckon."

"Whatever happens... when Rainbow Dash comes back... she deserves our love and support." Rarity's cheeks nevertheless puffed out as she smiled to the breaking point. "Mmmmmm! I can just imagine it right now! A candle-lit dinner! A dance beneath the stars! A kiss by the fireplace! Ohhhhhhhh I do hope Rainbow Dash opens up after this! Imagine the stories she has to tell!"

"Yeah, I..." Applejack gazed off some more. "...can almost picture it."

Anchoring

Applejack stood at a street corner.

Gazing at nothing and nopony in particular.

She squinted in the bright sunlight. The reason for this was—for the first time in ages—she wasn't wearing her hat in public. Instead, it dangled in her grip, open loose and shaking slightly in the afternoon breeze.

A long sigh rolled through her. The mare's expression was neither joyful nor sad... just a freckled chalice of fuzz and confusion. Looking, seeking, but never quite finding.

She didn't even realize somepony was speaking to her until a fetlock waved in her face, sundering her stone-steady gaze.

She looked up, still squinting.

"Has anypony ever told you that you've got a gorgeous, golden mane?"

Applejack blinked. "Mmmmm... what?"

Stu Leaves blinked back. "Erm... by that I mean... eheh..." He took a nervous step back, followed by a second. "Sorry. That j-just came out. I... erm..." He fidgeted awkwardly in his delivery attire and struck a goofy pose. "Good afternoon, Miss Applejack!"

"Oh..." Applejack swallowed, managing a faint smile. "Howdy, Stu." Her nostrils flared. "And I got it from my mother."

"Huh?"

"Granny says I inherited my Ma's good looks." Applejack exhaled. "Then again, she also says I got my Ma's brains and honest-streak and penchant for finances. I think... sometimes..." The mare bit her lip. "...she hesitates sayin' I got anythang good from Pa... as if she thinks it's cheatin', what with him bein' her own foal and all."

"Wow... you don't say..."

"I always figured that she lurves him by lurvin' on us... my brother and sister and me," Applejack said. "That's how... that's how you really bless the world and you bless yourself... by spreadin' it all around..." She stared off into the sky, her emerald eyes reflecting the daring blueness of it all. Like a sea of feathers. "Reckon it's a cryin' shame not to spread it at all."

"Miss Applejack...?"

Applejack slowly pivoted her gaze to meet Stu's gaze.

He looked at her with his ears folded back in concern. "Are you... feeling alright...?"

"Mmmm... I'm feelin'..." She looked down at her hat. It was empty at the moment. Perhaps—it always was. "I'm feelin', alright..."

Stu cocked his head to the side. He fumbled for words—as if he had any to give.

Applejack knew better than to wait. "And for the last dayum time..." She slapped her hat over her head, covering her golden crown without even the slightest of tickling sensations. She turned away from the vibrant blue sky and smirked in the stallion's direction. "...ya dun have to call me 'Miss Applejack,' ya dumb varmint. It's Applejack."

"Oh... heheh... s-sure thing!"

"Or 'AJ' if you prefer. But none of this 'Miss Applejack' nonsense. It puts too much stake in... in..." She threw the thought off along with the grimace. "Never mind. Just call me 'Applejack.'"

"Okay, Applejack. I saw you standing here and I couldn't help but say 'hi.' So... uhm..." He waved with a loose hoof and spread his wings for take-off. "Bye!"

"Mmmm..." Applejack almost hesitated. Almost. "Say—Stu?"

He stopped in mid-launch. "Huh?"

"... ... ...when are you off work?"

"I've got about three more deliveries to do." He shrugged. "Should be a sneeze."

"You wanna stop by the farm sometime after?" She smiled warmly. "Y'know how you've told me how you wanna learn to feed livestock? Reckon I could learn ya."

"Uhhhhhhh... really?"

"Yeah, really." Her brow furrowed in brief consternation. "Why would I offer somethin' unless I was fixin' to follow through with it?"

"Oh! Good point!" He chuckled. "Good...!" His wingtips fluttered. "Great! I-I mean... not that it wasn't already great... this day... the opportunity, er... or I mean—"

"Just get to work ya idiot."

"Oh! Righty!" He saluted, taking off finally. "Speedy delivery!"

"Uh huh. Bye now."

Swooooosh! He soared into the air with extra gusto.

Applejack made for the edge of town. In mid-trot, she took a moment to look up into the sky—her eyes locked onto a focused point for once. It anchored her, and it was a great feeling.

Promising. Comforting.

It gave her balance for the lazy stroll home.

Quirks of a Feather

Days later...

"Rnnngh!" Stu Leaves kicked a tree. Apples neatly fell from the branches and filled a basket below. Wiping his brow, he turned to look at the farm mare. "I'm not making it up! I... uh... read it in a magazine somewhere!"

"Pffft! Yeah, what publication?" Applejack snorted, pushing a wagon wheel into place beside a row of trees. "Grand Idiots Anonymous?"

"No, it was... uhm... some kind of health journal!" Stu smiled crookedly. "Supposedly, you earth ponies have denser bones and muscles than the rest of us!"

"Let's make one thang clear..." Applejack's muzzle hung between a smirk and a fround. "'Us earth ponies' dun rely on physicality as much as we rely on family and a hard-workin' spirit. Unlike y'all pegasi who rely on... on..."

"Actually..." Stu smiled. "The journal said we've got more 'fast-twitch muscle fibers'."

"Pffft! What a load of hooey! I've known some pegasi in my day who are lumps of laziness who refuse to move."

"Hah! Now who's generalizing?"

"Oh go shut yer cloud-trap." Applejack's muzzle scrunched as she faced her wagon. "Shucks... shucks a'plenty..."

"What's the matter? Run out of insults?"

"Quiet, you."

"Heheheh..."

Applejack tilted her hat back. "I dun have enough baskets for today's work. Reckon I should go fetch some more."

"Oh! I'll go!" Stu's wingtips fluttered. "I know where you keep them, AJ! It'll just be a second—"

"Naw..." Applejack pointed as she trotted down the hill. "You stick around here and keep practicing the apple buckin'."

"You sure? I mean... from the looks of it... heheheh... I think I just about have it down pat!"

"Keep on dreamin', ya varmint. Ya still need practice."

"Rnnngh!" Stu Leaves kicked another tree, causing fruit to fall. "At this rate... I can own an apple farm on my own in no time!"

"Uh huh..." Applejack droned, approaching the center of the farmstead.

Granny Smith sat on a rocking chair, sipping from a glass of lemonade. "You doin' okay, AJ?" she asked casually.

"Eeeyup." Applejack opened the barn door and stuck half-her body in to fetch a stack of empty baskets. "Gettin' an early start on the next harvest."

Granny Smith bore a wrinkled smile. "Is he doin' okay, AJ?"

"Eh... he's still light as a feather..." Applejack heaved the baskets over her flank and stepped out of the barn. "Both inside and outside."

"Still, he seems to be showin' up on the farm an awful lot."

"You noticed that too, huh?" Applejack gave Granny a passing smile. "Nice to see you restin' up, Granny. You deserve it."

"Well, with all the work that's been gettin' done around here, reckon I can afford it now."

"Darn tootin'."

Granny Smith swirled her lemonade glass with a knowing grin. "Not gonna lie... I wouldn't mind affordin' it for even longer."

Applejack scuffled to a stop in her tracks. Huffing a sigh, she glared tiredly in Granny's direction. "I'm just showin' him the ropes, Granny."

"Mmmm... I bet."

"He's a friend, nothin' else." Applejack smirked wryly. "Really... would I even pretend to embarrass myself by gettin' attached to the likes of him?"

"I dunno..." Granny took another sip and pointed at a blue shade that had descended on the hilltop. "...looks like there's plenty of embarrassment to go around."

"Huh?" Applejack turned around, squinting. Her eyes reflected a prismatic plume of mane hair. "Awwwwwwwwwww shucks..."

"What's the matter, AJ?" Granny Smith tried in futility to contain a cantankerous cackling. "Nothin' should be plum awkward between friends! Hyeh hyeh hyeh hyeh!"

"We need ya to go join a red-hat-club or somethin'," Applejack muttered, carrying the stack of baskets uphill. "At this point, yer gettin' worse than Big Mac when he used to yap on and on!"

"Why dun ya offer them both lemonade while it's still cold?!"

"Gotta test how tepid the other waters are first!" Applejack hollered back. Sweating, she approached the hilltop just as Stu Leaves was rambling before Rainbow Dash.

"Pffft... come on, silly!” He chuckled. “We met not long ago! At the Saddlehay Soiree, remember?”

“Sisterhooves social,” Applejack corrected, marching up and dropping the baskets beside the wagon. “Honestly, can't ya ever get it right, one time, Stu?”

“Eugh...” He rolled his eyes, chuckling. “So help me! I'm new around here!”

Applejack smiled at him. “Thankfully you're useful for yer wings, not so much as yer head.”

“Hardy har har.”

Applejack turned and gazed up at her friend. Her friend. There was no awkward breaths—not even the slightest flutter or tickle beneath her empty hat. It was remarkably refreshing—better than Granny's lemonade. “Howdy, Rainbow!" She smiled. "What brings you around these parts on such a warm, sunny day!”

Rainbow Dash hovered in mid-air, looking peculiarly nervous... short on sleep. "I... just... I felt like—”

“Oh AJ!” Granny's voice called from the farmstead. “Don't forget to drop off the irrigation equipment y'all borrowed from them Harvest ponies up the road! It was right neighborly of them to lend us the tools, and wouldn't be proper to hold 'em any longer! Ya hear?!”

Applejack called back. “Darn tootin', Granny! I'll get right on that!”

Lost for words, Rainbow Dash looked in a daze towards the farmstead. There was a wavering motion to her levitation.

Applejack couldn't help but mention it, among other things: “You look out of sorts, Rainbow!” She said. A pale flicker crossed her mind—of a mischievous fashionista giggling somewhere in some dark chamber. She cleared her throat, powering through it. "Seems like I haven't seen ya in ages! How are ya, darlin'?”

I've been... around," Rainbow muttered. She looked hard at Applejack. "You look really friggin' happy.”

Applejack's breath left her like a gunshot. “Heh!” She guffawed, surprised at herself, even. “And why shouldn't I be? The farm's doin' well and there ain't no cloud in the sky! Couldn't have asked Celestia for a better day even if she were to carve it herself!”

“You can say that again!” Stu Leaves exclaimed.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Now now, Stu, nopony likes an echo.”

“Erm... r-right... Sorry...”

Applejack couldn't stop chuckling. Rainbow Dash was certainly right. "Honestly, Stu, don't ya go all Fluttershy on us. My brother's liable to start chasin' after ya!”

“Hahah... that's funny.” Stu smiled... but eventually fidgeted. “Uhm... you are joking, r-right?”

Rainbow Dash squirmed in mid-hover. “Applejack, who is—?”

“You mean to tell me ya don't recognize Stu Leaves?” Applejack exclaimed, trotting around the wagon. “Ponyville's newest weather flier?”

“I... uh... I-I can't say that I do...”

“I was trying to tell her that we met at the Summerhorse Seminar,” Stu said.

“Sisterhooves Social! Heavens to Betsy!” Applejack threw a wink at Rainbow Dash. “They certainly don't teach much more than flight at flight school, do they, Rainbow?”

“I wouldn't know,” Rainbow droned. “I never finished.”

“Oh, you're a Cloudsdalian alright!” Stu Leaves said enthusiastically. “I can smell it off your feathers!”

“Down, boy,” Rainbow muttered. “Really, though, I've lived in Ponyville for several years.”

“Yeah, but you can never take the clouds out of your mane!” Stu chuckled and sighed. “Hoooo boy, am I finding that out the hard way.”

“Awwww... you've been doing alright in my book, Stu,” Applejack said. “Besides, yer doin' the right thang, what with lendin' a hoof here on the farm—”

“He's been helping out on the farm?!” Rainbow Dash's voice cracked.

“Well, sure!” Applejack smiled with honest pride. “A real helpin' hoof, this here Stu. I'm surprised you two haven't run into each other in the skies!”

“Yeah!” Stu exclaimed. “All week on weather detail, I haven't seen you, Miss Dash!”

“Please," Rainbow exhaled. "Just call me Dash.”

“Dash. Everywhere I go, ponies talk about how awesome and amazing you are! Even above the rooftops of Ponyville with the other pegasi!” Stu Leaves chuckled. “If I hadn't seen you at the...” He looked nervously at Applejack. “...Sisterhooves Social...” He smiled back at Rainbow. “...I would have guessed you were just some crazy legend!”

“Heheheh!” Applejack chuckled as she placed the baskets against the trees. “He's learnin'!”

“I've been... uhm...” Rainbow Dash rubbed her forelimbs together. “Uhhh... how do I put this...”

“Rainbow Dash here has been a super busy pony as of late!” Applejack exclaimed, packing as many baskets of apples into the wagon as possible. “What, with all her deliveries and cross country flights n'all...”

“Oh! A delivery pony!” Stu smiled up at her. “Even more that we have in common! I work part-time at the local post office!”

“Uh huh...” Rainbow's voice wavered up and down like awkward karaoke. “...that's nice...”

“Boy, I tell you what. I never thought a small-town parcel service would be so exciting!" Stu Leaves grinned in Applejack's direction. "Between that hilariously sweet pegasus with bubbles for cutie marks and all the random explosions that happen in this town, I can't get no end of excitement—”

“Welcome to Ponyville, Stu Leaves,” Applejack said in a low tone, giving Rainbow Dash a passing wink as she trotted the line of apple trees. “It only goes downhill from here.”

To Be Continued

Zoop.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack

"So... uh..." Rainbow cleared her throat and looked towards Applejack. The two stood side by side besides several baskets of apples on the family farm. "What did he do after you said you'd 'give it some thought?'"

Applejack's freckles lit up. "Heh... dang varmint smiled, then keeled over and passed out."

"Snkkkt!" Rainbow Dash spat.

"Slept the whole darn day on our couch." Applejack tilted her hat back as she mused with a smirk. "Ya shoulda seen Big Mac. He wanted to elbow drop him at every blink. Granny and I had to take shifts playin' bodyguard to the slumberin' fool."

Rainbow smiled. "That... sounds awesome and yet it doesn't."

"Shoot..." Applejack shrugged. "Big Mac will get over it. That's just the thang." She waved her hoof, speaking gently. "Life is short and dang complicated. If we dun get over our hang ups... all we'll ever do is hang ourselves and nothin' will ever get done... and nopony will be any the wiser."

"But... but you are strong, Applejack," Rainbow insisted, trembling at the sight of the distraught mare. "You're... you're the strongest—"

Applejack fell weakly to the ground.

With a jolt, Rainbow Dash tried to catch her. She could only hug her as Applejack laid across the ground, shuddering.

"I just... j-just don't understand..." Applejack cried. Sobbed. "Why would he do this? Everythang was just perfect... perfect." Snarling, she punched the ground with her hoof. "Darn him! Would it kill another soul... just one soul in this stinkin' world to be honest?! Is that askin' too much?! Am I all there is?"

"You're more than that, Applejack. Please, don't cry," Rainbow Dash stammered. "You don't... don't..." Rainbow Dash stopped in mid-speech, clenching her eyes shut. When they reopened, she was wearing a righteous frown. "Wait right here."

Applejack sniffled. She rubbed her cheek. "Rainbow..."

Blue feathers ruffled. With flapping wings, Rainbow took to the sky.

Swallowing a lump down her throat, Applejack managed to tilt her head up, squinting at the clouds. "Where... what are you—?"

"I'm going to fix this."

"Rainbow...?"

"I promise." FWOOOOOSH!

"I... uh... gotta rest up," Rainbow Dash said as the two parted ways along the edge of Ponyville. "My time off is over with, and I got lots of cyclone-practicing to do tomorrow."

"Best of luck with that," Applejack said, standing with the wagon.

"Oh, I've got... plenty of help in that area."

"Guess we're both lucky, huh?"

"Sure." Rainbow Dash nodded. "Sure thing, AJ."

"This..." Applejack fidgeted slightly. "Was a really good trip, Rainbow."

"Oh, totally."

"It... it helped nicely." She gulped, smilingly tenderly up at the mare. "Really, it did."

"That's cool."

"Yeah... cool..."

"Yeah."

Silence.

"Well..." Applejack smirked, saluted, and pivoted about. "Wagons west..."

"Ugh..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Bet you were waiting days to say that."

"You dun know me that well."

"And you suck at lying."

"Heheh... yeah..." Applejack sighed, shuffling off with a smile. "Reckon I do."

"Crkkk! Kaff! Kaff! Mmmmm..." A tiny voice mewled, whimpered, then wheezed. "Guhhh... Apple... Applejack? Why are... why're there so many ponies in my room...?"

"Apple Bloom...?"

"Oh gosh. Did... did I sleep in through school? Miss Cheerilee's going to kill me..."

"Oh Apple Bloom! Oh darlin'... I-I lurve you so much. Praise Celestia... Praise Celestia Almighty...!"

"Applejack? What's...what's wrong? Guh... You're squishing me..."

"Nothin's wrong, sugarcube..." A chuckle, then more sniffling... weeping. "Everythang's just heavenly. Oh praise Celestia... m-my little sister is back, everypony!"

"Woohooo!"

"Hot diggety!"

"Eeeyup!"

"Boundless elation! A cause for celebration!"

"Okay... did y'all enter me in a pageant or somethin'? This is startin' to get weird..."

"Heheheh..."

"Yer so precious to me, Apple Bloom. Oh... what a miracle." Applejack giggled and sobbed all at once. "What a fine miracle indeed...!"

Applejack and Rainbow Dash lay in separate beds in the dark of an Atlantrot hotel room at night.

They were talking.

"Applejack, being part of a family and helping others is... is so totally you. I see the way you love on Apple Bloom. I see how you fret and worry over Big Mac and Granny Smith all the time. I just... always sorta got the impression that if you had a way to put more on your plate, you would. Because everything about you just screams 'family.'"

"You mean everythang about me just screams 'motherin'."

"Uhhh—I-I-I didn't say that!"

"Heheh... reckon ya thought it though. I mean, ain't that what yer goin' for? 'Applejack, how come you don't plan on bein' a mother someday.'"

"Well..."

"For the same reason that you say I'm all about takin' care of a family, I'm hesitant to even try startin' one of my own, Rainbow."

"Eh...?"

"I just dun know if I can even afford it. Raisin' a farm ain't easy. I dun care how things go down with Shindig or not. If I bring a beautiful new life to this world, I'd feel responsible for makin' sure it gets the best future possible. And until I feel that kind of security, I can't pretend to get my hopes up."

"You can't pretend or you just don't want to?"

"I... uh... I reckon I don't see the difference."

"For real? You can't even afford to think selfishly for one in your life, AJ? Even when it means an opportunity to do something that—knowing you—could be completely awesome?"

"Heheh... Rainbow, are you fixin' to get me pregnant or something?"

"Pfft! No, AJ! I just wonder if you've ever asked the question of yourself."

"What question?"

"Like, without any strings attached, without havin' to worry about the future or the farm or how you're doing with your crops, what would you want out of life?"

"Luna have mercy. Ya silly filly, I dun told you I can't—"

"I'm not talking about what you expect to afford, Applejack. I'm asking you... simple and plainly... what do you want out of such a life?"

"What... do I want?"

"Yeah..."

“Orlandoats, Fillyda...” Applejack shook her head in shock. “That there's a heck of a gallop...”

“Yeah... it's... it's pretty far away...” Rainbow fidgeted with her bangs, avoiding Applejack's gaze. “Perhaps there's a train that leads down there. But... y'know... you'd have to make a stop by Atlantrot.”

“Who doesn't, these days.”

“And if you take her up on her offer, that probably m-means moving far away and—”

“Now hold yer horses, Rainbow.” Applejack chuckled. “I haven't agreed to anythang yet. Whew! To be honest, I'm still reelin' from the bomb you just dropped.”

“Heh! Well, that's me!” Rainbow smiled cheekishly. “Rainbow Professionalism Bomb Dropping Danger Dash!”

“I need to talk it over with Granny... with Big Mac...” Applejack stared at the dimming horizon. “Fancy Pants too, I reckon.”

“Well, y'know, eventually.”

“And I can't even begin to imagine the sort of finacnes I'd have to wrangle my head around!” Applejack winced. “Numbers have never been my strong suit. Reckon I'd have to chat up Twilight about this too.”

“Whatever you do, AJ, just make sure it's something you wanna do.”

“Why wouldn't I wanna do it?!” Applejack blinked. “It means potentially turnin' our franchise into a big cider empire overnight!”

“Oh... r-right...” Rainbow Dash shuddered, staring at the ground as she fiddled with her bangs. “Of course.”

“Rainbow...?”Applejack murmured.

Rainbow looked up.

“Everythang alright, sugarcube?” Applejack's emerald eyes glinted with the last hint of daylight. “You seem a bit frazzled, darlin'.”

“Who, me? I'm fine, AJ.”

“Y'all sure about that?”

“Totally! I just...” Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth. With a shuddering breath, she said, “I-I'm just... super glad, y'know?” She smiled sweetly. “That everything's lookin' up for you.” She cleared her throat. “You've been workin' so friggin' hard for so friggin' long. Just seems like just desserts, ya feel me?”

“Awwwwwwww...” Applejack smirked. “Well, if it means anythang, I can't think of a better pony I'd rather hear the news from.”

Rainbow twitched. “F-for real?”

“Uhhhh... you girls think one of us should wake her up or something?”

Applejack looked to where Rainbow Dash slouched against the edge of the party's table at Sugarcube Corner, slumbering away. "Reckon it wouldn't hurt to send her on her way. Ahem.” She reached over to shake the petite pegasus' shoulder. “Hey. Hey! Rainbow, sugarcube, high time you headed home for a nap. Don'tcha think?”

“Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...” Rainbow's hooves fumbled until they grasped Applejack's dangling ponytail. The mare nuzzled it, smiling drunkenly. “But I ammmmmm hommmmmme...”

The table filled with giggles..

“Heh heh heh...” Applejack guffawed, then warmly shook Rainbow's shoulder. “Ya might wanna take a second gander, darlin'.”

Rainbow's bloodshot eyes flashed open. She flew back in her seat, leaning away from Applejack's mane while stammering: “Acklejack! I mean, Applejeez! I mean... Guhhhhh...” She blink-blinked at everypony. “Wh-what am I doing here?!”

Pinkie Pie was dying of laughter while Rarity suppressed a dainty snort and Fluttershy blushed like a burning bush. Twilight smiled awkwardly. “You decided to treat us to breakfast, remember?”

“Ya doin' alright, sugarcube?” Applejack craned her neck. “Last time anypony ever used my mane for teethin' was when Apple Bloom was a lil' sprout.”

"I... I-I-I...” Rainbow's eyes flew all about. “I-I didn't g-get much sleep last night,” her voice cracked.

“Well, that much is certain,” Twilight said with a slight chuckle.

“Awwwwww... ya poor thang...” Applejack patted Rainbow's shoulder. “Ya feelin' alright, sugarcube? Ya know I was only teasin' about my mane.” She flipped the ponytail in question over the other side of her neck. “No harm, no foul.” She winked.

“Right...” Rainbow nodded... then nodded again and exhaled. “Right right right... right.”

"Uhm..." Applejack stood before her farmhouse, glancing awkwardly at the letter held in Winter Green's hoof "I... I-I can't imagine what this could be about. Sweet Apple Acres hasn't done any business with no 'Fancy Pants.'"

"Well, you just might want to after reading this," the stallion said with a smile.

"Just open it, darlin'," Granny Smith said.

"But Granny—"

"Shhhh..." Granny leaned in and whispered. "We talked about this, didn't we? Any opportunity is a good opportunity."

Applejack sighed. "Alright, then..." She took the envelope from Winter Green's hoof and ripped it open. Pulling the letter out, she squinted at the surface.

Granny Smith and Big Mac leaned over her shoulder.

Apple Bloom hopped and hopped behind them. "What's it say? What's it say?"

"It... it..." Applejack's sweat tripled across her forehead as her jaw hung agape. "It says..."

"My vision's all confoundedly blurry..." Granny Smith hissed. "Is that as many zeroes as I think it is?"

"Eeyup eeyup eeyup!" Big Mac wheezed, his big red jaw forming a dumb grin.

"This... this c-can't be real..." Applejack's hooves trembled and trembled more. She gawked at the stallion in front of him. "He... he wants our apples?" She gulped. "For the next twenty seasons?"

Winter Green chuckled, nodding. "If you show an interest in this venture, then Mr. Fancy Pants offers to meet with you to speak about it a week from now. Be it his mansion in Trottingham or here in Sweet Apple Acres, he's left the choice up to you—"

"Oh yes! Yes!" Applejack flew forward and gave the finely-suited stallion a sweaty hug. "Here! There! Anywhere!" She dropped him like an anvil and spread her limbs towards her family, grinning wide. "Ya hear that?! We're back in business, y'all!"

"Woohooo!" Granny Smith gave a tree a mighty kick, hooting. "Darn tootin'!"

"Eeeeyup!"

"Yeeehaaa! Ha ha ha ha!" Applejack scooped Apple Bloom in a hug while Big Mac leaned in to nuzzle them both. Finally Granny Smith drifted into the group hug as they all cheered and laughed together.

Apple Bloom blinked, then nestled into the family embrace. "Yaaay! Things are all happy n'stuff!"

"They sure are, Apple Bloom..." Applejack shared a smile with Granny Smith before nuzzling her with a tear running down her freckled cheek. "They sure are..."

Applejack and Rainbow Dash paused on a hilltop overlooking Sweet Apple Acres. They talked while resting from constant apple-bucking.

“I… uh… think," Applejack spoke, "I’d settle for a stallion who could help me take care of the young’n’s…" She smiled. "And the farm, of course.”

With a shudder, Rainbow pivoted about. “But AJ…” She winced. “What… what if you don’t get to salvage the farm, y’know?”

Applejack’s face stretched. She lingered for a few seconds, shrugged, and said, “I reckon in the end, it doesn’t matter. Trust… loyalty… commitment.” She rolled her eyes. “A handsome scent.” She chuckled.

Rainbow Dash smiled crookedly. “Heh. Heh. Hehhhh.”

After a prolonged sigh, Applejack’s ears twitched, and she stared a million miles away. “In the end, it’s all about havin’ somepony special to come back home to.” Her jaw hung straight.

Rainbow Dash sat in silence.

“Yeah, well…” Applejack shrugged, squirming her hooves in the grass. “Yer a better dreamer than I am, Rainbow Dash. I’m ‘fraid it only gives me the blues somethin’ fierce.”

“I… uh… I feel ya." Rainbow exhaled. "Believe me.”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash strolled up the front steps to the Twilight Sparkle's Canterlot apartment.

"Uhm... AJ?"

Applejack stifled a yawn. She turned to squint back at Rainbow. "Yeah, darlin'?"

The pegasus was wincing. Nevertheless, she hovered on limp wings and muttered, "You... uh... you really deserve better, y'know?"

Applejack stared blankly.

Rainbow cleared her throat and added, "You and the farm, that is. You... really deserve more."

With a tired smile, Applejack calmly said, "T'ain't about what a pony deserves, Rainbow Dash, but what she dares to accomplish in spite of the worst stuff that fate has to throw at her."

Rainbow said nothing.

With a shrug, Applejack turned about and shuffled in through the front entrance.

Rainbow Dash stood alone out in the cold.

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash shrugged, clutching her mug of cider as she and Applejack sat alone in Donut Joe's cafe—still wearing their tattered ballgowns. “We all put our hopes and dreams into that Gala! It wasn’t our fault that it royally crashed and burned!”

“Wasn’t it, though?”

Rainbow winced heavily and rubbed the back of her skull. “Yeah, well…”

“Makes no difference.” Applejack shook her head. The starlight outside the windows gave a melancholic glint to her freckles. “I feel bad for ya gals. Really, I do. Especially Rarity and her dream of romance come true.”

“Pfft… yeah, well…” Rainbow Dash smirked. “That mare dug herself in deep.”

“Not as deep a hole as I dug for my entire family.” Applejack’s ears drooped as she gazed limply at the tabletop. “The apples don’t just belong to me, y’know. They represent the cream of the crop of Sweet Apple Acres. When I invested the bushels for the sample table, I took a big cut out of what could have earned us regular profit. Now we’re behind in stock for the upcoming harvest.” Applejack shrugged with a sigh. “I’m still not sure how I’m gonna break it to Granny Smith and Big Mac. Someway, somehow, we’re gonna have to preserve some of what we have in store and bank on a really big cider season.”

“Wow, AJ. I didn’t realize how…” Rainbow fidgeted. “H-how involved all of that was.” She bit her lip. “Though, I guess it makes sense…”

“I had so much bet on this Gala earnin’ us the bits,” Applejack said. “I was bitin’ off more than I could chew. It’s only my fault, of course. I just wish the whole family didn’t have to flounder around because of it. Just because I did it for them don’t make it proper.”

Rainbow Dash bit her lip. Then, with nostrils flaring, she tilted the mug up and downed the rest of the cider.

Applejack gave her a double-take.

Rainbow Dash emptied the mug, slapped it down, and slapped a hoof over her chest. “Phweeeeee!” she wheezed, eyes bulging. Then, with bloodshot eyes, she leaned forward and bravely hissed, “If a bunch of Canterlot hackjobs could sell this crap for bits, then I know for a fact that you’re gonna sell the heck out of all your friggin’ apple juice, Applejack! Don’t you worry your big blonde head over nothin’, girl!”

Applejack blinked at her. With a warm smile, she chuckled and shook her head. “Yer somethin’ else, Rainbow. You know that?”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Rainbow Dash winked.

“I dunno, sugarcube, but it feels mighty fine to have a loyal marefriend believe in me so much.” She reached over and playfully punched the pony’s shoulder. “Thanks a bunch.”

Rainbow Dash exhaled heavily in an effort to keep her cheeks from burning. She rubbed her shoulder and in a weak whisper said… “Don't mention it.”

"Ugh..." Rainbow stopped pacing in front of entrance to the Cloudsdale Stadium and flicked her tail angrily. "Just forget it! This is... this is a total disaster waiting to happen. I don't even know why Twilight dragged the whole bunch of you here."

Applejack gazed across at her as they stood on the misty cloudbeds. "Pardon me, sugarcube, but this dun sound like you."

Rainbow Dash slowly turned around, glaring. "No offense, AJ... but you don't know a darn thing about me."

Applejack trotted forward and rested a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "This... I know... and it's the honest truth." She leaned forward until her eyes were even with Rainbow's. "You've got what it takes to win everythang you set yer heart to, Rainbow."

"I..." Rainbow's lips quivered. Her ears folded. "...you really think so?"

"I know so," Applejack said, grinning. "Honest to Goddess..." She crossed her heat, then ruffled the mare's prismatic mane. "Wouldn't be polite to steer ya wrong, ya reckon?"

Rainbow finally exhaled. "No..." She pushed her bangs up, smiling stupidly. "Eheheh... I reckon not..."

Applejack winked. She then stepped aside and pointed straight into the competitors' entrance. "Now get yer blue butt in there before I whoop it red!"

"Ahem."Rainbow Dash galloped straight past her. "Ma'am! Yes, Ma'am!"

"Land's sakes!" Applejack galloped towards a deep trench in the farm soil formed by a crashed pegasus' body. "That sure was one whopper of a dive you done took!" The mare came to a scuffling stop, her breath panting. "Gallopin' galoshes! Look at you! Are y'all okay, Mister?"

"Guhhh... Missus," Rainbow Dash corrected with a grunt, struggling to get up one bruised limb at a time. She muttered something under her breath.

"What's that, darlin'?" Applejack leaned over. "'Fraid I couldn't make you out."

"Look, whoever you are... I'm friggin' sorry." Rainbow Dash continued to squirm. "I was trying out my signature cloud-breaking move but the stupid winds... grrrrrr... nopony told me that the Equestrian Valley had gales!"

"Heh. I ain't no pegasus pony, but the weather dun regulate itself 'round these parts like it does up in Cloudsdale."

"How... did you know...?" Rainbow Dash winced, shaking her head. "Forget it. I gotta get back to my weather team or else the sky captain's gonna fire me on my first day. Freakin'..." She fought and struggled to yank herself out of the earth. "What's this mud made out of?! Seagull poop?!"

Applejack smiled proudly. "Richest and most fertile earth in the whole kingdom! You bet yer colorful mane!"

"Yeah, well, at the moment I don't really care for it."

"Here, lemme help you out with that, sugarcube." Applejack reached over. "What's yer name, speedy?"

"Mrrmmmfff... I'm fine, really. If you must know, my name is Rainbow Dash and—"

Applejack yanked the pegasus out of the trench. The mare looked up, her ruby pupils instantly shrinking as they reflected a golden, freckled face.

"Hmnmm?" Applejack smiled patiently, easing Rainbow into a standing position and dusting her off. "And what, darlin?"

Rainbow's wings slowly spread as she murmured: "...it's my birthday."

Applejack looked at her. The mare's freckles shone in the sun...

...and she smiled.

Appledashery

This is going to be a long one, folks...

Grit

Applejack lay on the porch to her farmhouse.

A cold breeze wafted over the land. Every tree shook, sending a quiet percussion of leaves into the air. The entire country was alive; it was always alive.

Applejack sat like a dead stone. Just like the other two rocks that remained gray and lifeless, despite her best efforts.

She closed her eyes, fighting tears.

When they reopened... she was frowning.

The teenager stood up, muscles tight and determined.

She turned around and trotted briskly into the nearest barn.

Applejack kicked a latch open, exposing three whole wagons parked within the structure.

Biting onto a rope, she loosened a series of tools clinging to the vehicles' side, kicked them aside, then hitched herself to the cart.

Grunting, she flexed her tiny teenage legs, pulling the first of the wagons out.

Outside, the wagons stood next to one another, facing the unbucked fields of Sweet Apple Acres.

Thunk! Applejack slapped a large canister of water down beside a dirt path.

She stared out at the trees and trees still full of bright red flouncing fruit.

Exhaling, she pulled a bandanna from a nearby crate, wrapped it around her neck, and set forth into the brightly-lit fields... dragging multiple buckets.

Wallflowering

"Excuse me. Yes. Pardon. Whoops—sorry. Did I step on your tail? Pardon me. Just... trottin' on through. Ouch! So sorry. Yes... yes the apple treats are for free. Help yerselves, I just gotta... gotta... mrmmmmfff... guh!"

Like a sweaty hiker through a dense jungle, Applejack finally... finally made her way through the oceanic basin of fuzz, muzzles, and twitching ears. She reached the only part of the barn that was relatively "uncrowded"... which turned out to be the far north wall of the place. There—beyond the penumbra of the lanternlight—she stood against a wooden post, catching her breath.

"Whew-wee... good... good work, Applejack..." She gulped. "Yer nice and unassumin' and unseen right about here."

She smiled to herself.

A blink.

Just then, Applejack's ears drooped.

"Oh shucks..." Her smile morphed into a grimace.

In threading her way to the far end of the barn, the mare had cornered herself against the longest wall of the barn without a door. It was now an insane, monumental trot in all directions to reach the closest exit.

"Shucks shucks shucks..." She danced in place, hooves clopping loudly against the hay-strewn floorboard. "Yer a real dumb varmint, AJ, y'know that—?"

A random stallion passed by, saw Applejack's limbs moving, and bowed to invite her to a square dance—

"Oh no! I-I was just... just givin' 'em a little stretch!" Applejack chuckled into a fresh curtain of sweat. "Eheheh... y'all go on without me, though!"

As the shadows of ponies receded from her general area, she slinked back slightly, trying to calm her breaths.

"Just... just settle down..." She murmured. She squeaked. "...ain't like she came here just for you." Her eyes crossed. "Even though she totally suggested that she would visit just to see you." She shook her head, then fanned herself with her hat. "Besides... mares... I-I mean ponies say silly things every day! She's not really into you, AJ. Not really. I mean, who in Equestria would be? Yer just... yer just..." She plopped her hat back on and gulped. "No. Just..." She shook her head. "No."

She breathed some more. Squeaked some more.

At last, she leaned against the wooden post behind her and calmed... slightly.

"Mrmmmff... you've been hangin' around with Big Mac too much. Yer ego is one size too big. Heh... heheh..." An eye-roll. "Like anypony visitin' from out of town would strike a fancy for ya. And even if they did... pffft... ain't no point to it! Yer a family pony. A work mare. Nothin' more! They'd understand. Honesty's the best policy. Just... just gotta tell her. If she shows up... you just tell her that yer not... that yer not..." She gulped, then slapped her hoof down. "That yer just not. There. Simple. Good." An exhale. "Good." A nod. "Good."

At last, Applejack stopped panting.

However... the squeaking remained.

"... ... ...?" Applejack shifted. "Hmmm?" She looked to her right... then to her left.

There was another pony there. Pressed against the wall. Slinking towards the floor until she was veritably a yellow puddle of shivering limbs.

"Uhhhh..." Applejack cleared her throat, then tipped her hat politely. "Why... uh... h-howdy there!"

"Eeep!" the figure flinched away from her.

Applejack grimaced. "S-sorry! Didn't mean to startle you! I just... I didn't know there was another pony when I fled—er... m-mosey'd on over to this spot!" She set her hat back on squarely. "I didn't mean to crowd you. My apologies."

"Mmmmm..." The mare trembled. Applejack could scarcely make out her face through a lock of pink mane hair. "Mrmmf-mmfllf..."

"My name's Applejack... heh... from Sweet Apple Acres? Just a few fields over yonder. Full of apples. Can't miss it." Applejack craned her neck with a friendly smile. "What's yer name?"

"Mmmm... it's... it's Fff-ffffuly..."

"Huh?"

"My... my name is Fffffff..."

"Did... did you say Firefly—"

"No." She lifted her head. A flash of turquoise eyes. "It's Flutter—"

The shadows of ponies crossed over. The mare gasped—yellow wings feathering out then coiling back in. She shrank back down.

"—fly!"

Applejack tongued the inside of her muzzle. "Flutter... shy..." She looked up at the rustic ceiling beams of the barn. "... ... ...can't... say that I know it. Just what brings you to a hootenanny like this, Fluttershy? You dun seem to be enjoyin' yerself much—"

"Uhm... uh... th-th-the birds..." A trembling hoof pointed across the barn.

"Birds?" Applejack looked across the barn. "Ohhhh!" She beamed. "You mean them sweet-singing' songbirds?! Boy, howdy! What a treat! You mean to say that that's yer doin'—?"

Applejack's eyes caught a flash of Silver Shadow's sweeping eyes.

"Tarnation!" She sank like an orange rock, squatting behind the wooden post.

A trembling Fluttershy looked at her.

A trembling Applejack looked back.

They shared a blink between them.

"Reckon... uh... hootenanny's ain't my kind of rodeo neither," Applejack said with a nervous titter.

"Hmmmm..." Fluttershy's lips did something weird. They curved into a smile. "Hmmm-hee-hee-hee..."

"Heh heh heh..."

Home Run

Galloping... galloping hooves.

Applejack didn't stick to the roads.

She barely even stuck to the fields.

She ran through bushes and tall grass and thickets and all of the random growth in between.

All just to make an unmitigated bee-line for the heart of Sweet Apple Acres.

It was a difficult trek... made even more difficult by the sheer speed of her sprinting and the fact that she had scarcely any light to guide her journey.

But, at last... after much sweat and yards and seed-spurs clinging to her fetlocks...

...she made it over the crest of a hill. There was a familiar rustle to the trees, and it was only then that Applejack realized that she was finally home. Sweet Apple Acres loomed around her in a windswept hush. She must have forgotten jumping a fence or two to get there.

"Grnnngh!" With a muscular jolt, Applejack forced herself to a grinding stop.

Dirt flew. Grass bent. And then—cricket song.

Applejack stood still... panting... quivering.

She took a few deep breaths... then some deeper ones. At last, she found her nostrils relaxing just long enough to devour the lung-tickling scent of apples in the cool night air. Everything was spiced with familiarity and comfort.

Home.

"Heh..."

She smiled crookedly.

"Heh heh heh heh..."

She slapped her knee and nearly fell backwards on her sweaty haunches.

"Haaah! Hah hah ha... heheheheh... whewwwwwww-doggy!"

Applejack laughed and breathed and looked up.

Darkness hung over the treetops like a cold sheet. The stars barely twinkled. A dull canvas rolled lazily overhead, limping towards the midnight hour.

Applejack's smile left her. And although the relief of arriving there so speedily still remained... there was a sour taste to it all... fluttering upon the fringes of her thoughts.

She shuffled over to the nearest tree and...collapsed. It was a graceful thing—more or less—and Applejack soon found herself sitting with her back slumped against an apple tree. She stared up into the sky, her green eyes centering on the Mare in the Moon.

And for a moment... the effigy in the moon didn't look so sad... for the universe possessed something lonelier.

The farm mare sat in contemplative silence for several more symphonies of cricket song... before reluctantly getting up and slouching her somber way towards the homestead.

Harmonious

"Good afternoon, my name is Twilight Sparkle."

"Well, howdy-doo, Miss Twilight! A pleasure makin' yer acquaintance. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do love makin' new friends!"

"Now you have lots and lots of friends!"

"A-are you alright, sugarcube?"

"Awwwwww! She's so happy she is crying!"

"What did you do with our princess?!?"

"Wh-whoahhhhh there, Nelly!"

"And just what are the Elements of Harmony?! And how did you know about Nightmare Moon, huh?! Are you a spy?! Whoah!"

"Simmer down, Sally! She ain't no spy... but she sure knows what's goin' on. Don't ya, Twilight?"

"Weee! Let's go!"

"Not so fast. Look, I appreciate the offer, but I really rather do this on my own."

"No can do, sugarcube. We sure ain't lettin' any friend of ours go into that creepy place alone. We're stickin' to you like caramel on a candy apple."

"Mmmmhmmm!"

"Especially if there are candy apples in there! What?! Those things are good!"

"It's just mud..."

"Jee, Twilight... I thought you were just spoutin' a lotta hooey... but I reckon we really do represent the Elements of Friendship."

"Indeed you do..."

"I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle shall take on a new mission for Equestria..."

Equinox

Applejack trotted alone through the woods leading into Ponyville.

It was a clear sky. Starlight peered down onto the Equestrian countryside, unhindered.

Applejack knew the route so well that she spent most of the trek with her eyes shut. A gust of autumn air would blow through her mane, and she'd lift her head to inhale the crispness of it all.

Leaves fluttered across the path, tickling her fetlocks.

Soon, the spicy aroma of apples mixed with the breeze.

Applejack opened her eyes to see the gates to her farmland welcoming her home.

Only when the farmhouse came into focus did she remember the crusty layer of sweat coating her figure. The Running of the Leaves toyed with her well-toned muscles. Suddenly the idea of a brisk warm shower beneath an open window tickled her mind, and she smiled... giggling into the breeze.

Something glinted in the moonlight.

She turned and looked, craning her neck.

Off on a hill... towards the southwest... overlooking the orchards...

...two polished stones flickered... and were dull once again.

"Hmmmmmmm..." She smiled into the starlight. Her eyes watered slightly. "Ain't no reason to be restless..." She tipped the brim of her hat. "...I've got awesome souls lookin' after me."

Another sigh... warm and content this time. Applejack eventually carried herself up onto the front porch. After a brief, meditative pause, she marched into the house, wiped her hooves cleaned... and washed up for a long, comfy night.

Pillow'd Dawn

"Gaaaaaaaah!" Applejack shot up with a jolt, squeezing a pillow hard to her chest. "Guhhh! Land's sakes! I'm gonna..." Her pupils shrank, wobbling in place.

Morning sunlight poured through Twilight's bedroom windows.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie sat in the corner, brushing each other's manes. They gazed over at Applejack with sleepiness fading from their eyes.

"... ... ..." Applejack squeaked. "...die?"

"Morning morning—sleepyhead!" Pinkie Pie stuck her tongue out and giggled. "Heeheehee! Not such a light sleeper after all!"

"You alright, Applejack?" Fluttershy blinked, eyes flickering with brief worry. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"I had... I-I had..." Applejack hugged the pillow tighter to her chest. It was scarcely enough to mask the pounding of her own little pony heart. "Heavens to betsy..."

An adorable yawning sound.

Applejack looked over, and again her heart skipped a beat.

Rainbow Dash was stumbling out of Twilight's bedroom, her short mane sticking out in every direction. She blinked blearily in Applejack's direction. "I was wondering when you were gonna wake up, AJ."

"Uhhhhhhh..." Applejack's ears twitched.

"Huh... not so easy when you don't have a rooster around, huh?" She flicked her tail, smirked, and trotted briskly out of the room. "I smell french toast! Last sucker to the breakfast table gets the smallest slice!"

"Oooh!" Pinkie Pie leapt over Fluttershy and hopped across the sea of disheveled sleeping bags. "I wanna dig in! Ohhhhhhhh syrup!"

Applejack was still struggling to catch her breath.

Fluttershy paused in trotting past her. "Want me to... tell the other girls you'll be sleeping in?"

"No, I... I-I will be fine." Applejack gulped. "Just... just need to open my eyes, is all."

"Mmmmhmmm." Fluttershy looked at Applejack's forelimbs. She smiled. "You can bring the huggy-pillow with you if you want." A wink, and she followed Pinkie and Rainbow.

Once Applejack was truly alone, she wheezed for breath. She tried letting the pillow go, but somehow... holding onto it felt like... ... ...holding onto something else. There was a warmth there. Something alive and real and wholesome and frightening all at once.

Applejack decided to sit there for a few minutes more.

A One and a Two and a...

"Three months of winter's coolness—HIC!—and awesome holidaaaaaays!"

Rainbow Dash and Applejack trotted a serpenite path down the cobblestone streets of the Diamond District. Their caterwauling voices echoed against the establishments as they closed one by one. Distressed ponies and locals threw them weary glances and eagerly trotted out of their ways.

"We've kept our hoofsies warm at home!" Applejack was strung between chuckling and singing. She teetered in a wild attempt to keep up with her flying drinking partner. "Time off from work to plaaaaaaay!"

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath then cacophonously bellowed: "But the food we've stored is running out and we can't grow in this cooooooold—"

"Hey!" Applejack's freckles burned. "That's my line!"

"Fine!" Rainbow Dash hiccuped, rubbing the rosy fuzz of her smiling cheek. "You get Rarity's!"

"Oh heck naw!" Applejack belched. "I'll do Fluttershy's!"

"She never sings the intro!"

"Well shoot! I... er... consarn it—"

"Sing the dang chorus already!"

"Yeeeeeehaaa! Chorus!"

"Winter-Wrap up! Winter wrap up!"

"Hahahaha—"

"Let's finish our holiday cheeeeeer!"

"Sing it sugarcube!" Applejack wheezed, chuckled, and teetered some more. "Pretend yer one of them fancy tenors!"

Rainbow Dash melodramatically lowered her voice. "Winter-Wrap uppppp! Winter Wrap upppppppp!"

"Hahahaha—oh lawd!"

"Something something spring is here!" Rainbow Dash narrowly avoided slamming into a lamppost. "Whoah!" She fell.

Applejack swiftly slid in to catch the petite pegasus with her spine. "Whoah there, buckaroo!"

"Haha—I... uh..." Rainbow Dash draped upside down across the farm mare, smiling crookedly. "HIC! I forget the next part..."

"Oh, that's simple!" Applejack took a deep breath as she broke into a brisk canter. "Into the Gala we must go and have the best night everrrrrrrrrrr!"

"Ya stupid apple hick! That's the wrong dang song!"

"Says you!"

"Buuuuuuuuuuuurp!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Laughing, the two meandered wildly into the urban nothingness.

"Heeeheee—ohhhhhhhhhh you gotta shaaaaaaaare! You gotta caaaaaaaare!"

Refrain

Applejack bounded up the stairs.

She entered her room, chuckling as she remembered something that she and Stu had conversed about that day.

He had told her about her lengthy trip across eastern Equestria to arrive at Manehattan. After a long and hearty description of her travels, the dimwitted stallion had only one question to ask: "How did you carry your napsack without wings?"

She wanted to hit him.

"Heheheh..." She smirked, stumbling over to her vanity and removing her hat. "Darn bird-headed varmint. So easily distracted—"

Her smile faded.

Soft velvety blueness.

The feather lingered in the hollow of the hat, glistening in the last beams of light peeking over the hilltops outside her window.

"... ... ..."

Applejack took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and—with blind grace—she reached into the drawer of her vanity, opened a velvet case, and clasped the feather safely shut inside. She made no attempt to savor the soft texture of the treasured keepsake.

Only once the drawer had been shut did she open her eyes. She could finally exhale.

"Just helpin'... just..." A gulp. "Learnin' and helpin'."

And yet, as she turned away from the vanity...

...a dumb smile returned to her freckles.

She trotted briskly off towards the washroom to prepare herself for dinner.

Appledashed

Applejack's jaw hung agape. She had no words to respond with.

Not that it mattered. Something absolute had melted, and it showed across Rainbow's tear-stained face. Her grimace had been replaced with a smile. Anchored by sleep, the petite pegasus snuggled up to Applejack's chest... Applejack's tummy... Applejack's everything. A few more tears trickled out, and then Rainbow's muzzle shuddered with the tell-tale signs of foalish slumber.

Her heartbeat had slowed to a gentle, relaxed crawl; the same couldn't be said for Applejack's.

The farm mare collapsed there, pinned against a hard wall and a soft angel. She struggled to breathe—but to do so would threaten jostling Rainbow Dash out of the moment, and then everything would be lost... everything that Applejack couldn't be bucked to understand.

So, she lay there... limp and confused... and yet solid and strong. Rainbow Dash cuddled up against her like a dependent little sister. But there was more too it than that. Even a pony like Applejack wasn't immune to the electricity nipping at her nose.

She reached a hoof out... and stroked the back of Rainbow's neck. Once again, she felt the heartbeat... the warmth... the pulsating tenderness that suddenly existed in that world. It was frightening... paralyzing... but the unexpected softness of Rainbow's mane kept Applejack from falling apart. She was mesmerized by it... glued to it... just like Rainbow was glued to her. It would take a crumbling mountain to move the two of them from that position, and yet Applejack knew that they had to move... and yet...

And yet...

Applejack trembled. She was afraid of waking Rainbow Dash. So she let another fetlock join the carress. Soon, she was holding the mare tenderly to her chest... cradling her. It didn't help the situation, but it didn't make it any worse either. There simply wasn't any other thing she could do. Holding Rainbow so close... steadying her... anchoring her to the earth...

She couldn't tell if she was protecting Rainbow Dash anymore, or just herself. She focused on the softness of Rainbow's mane, and a pit in her stomach joined the emptiness in her mind. Applejack felt lost and found all at once. There was no sweating... no crying... just shivers.

Pupils shrunken, Applejack gazed a million miles into the grayness of Canterlot. The only thing that would keep her satiated was to carress those colors inexplicably gifted to her... rolling over in deep, wordless thoughts... waiting for the stars to shift. Or something else.

Branching

Early morning.

Applejack was already gathering a wagon full of baskets in the barn. The doors were cracked open, allowing rays of dawnlight to enter. Applejack went about her task dutifully and quietly. It wasn't until Big Macintosh entered that the silence was broken.

"Uhhhhh..." He stood awkwardly in the entrance to the barn. "...AJ?"

She spoke swiftly without looking back at him. "Ya talk to Granny?"

Big Mac swallowed. "Eeeeyup."

Applejack stored the last of the baskets into the wagon. "Reckon we've got our work cut out for us, huh?"

The stallion nodded, eyes drifting towards the floor. "Eeeeeeeyup."

"Well..." Applejack took a breath. "Only thang I can think of that will help us float for a while is an early harvest. Then—while we roll in the bits—we'll try and figure out somethin' more long-term." She lingered beside the wagon, staring off into the shadows of the building. "I'm... awful sorry for tannin' yer hide over all of the suggestions you made. All thangs considered, Big Mac, yer right. Maybe sharecroppin' is the way to go. Maybe even with..." She grimaced slightly, but continued: "The Radishes."

He peered up at her. "Ya shouldn't be hard on yerself either, AJ," he spoke boldly. "What you did at the Gala—it's not so much a gamble as it was smart thinkin'. But know this—t'ain't yer fault that things didn't improve. T'ain't nopony's fault, really." He shrugged. "Just the way the wind blows."

"Mmmm... I reckon." Applejack nodded. "But now it's time to take root. Ain't gonna be blown over no way no how." She hitched herself to the wagon and proceeded to pull it out of the barn. "I'm gonna be busy for the next few days. Think you might be willin' to fix dinner in my stead? Unless of course you've got yer own schedule to keep."

"I'll be workin' an awful lot too, but if it makes thangs easier for ya—sis—then I can fix the vittles for a week."

"Well, that's mighty nice of ya, Big Mac. I just... I just need to concentrate at the task at hoof."

"Yer always happiest when you are."

Applejack lingered in place for a bit. The wagon caught up with her, and she resumed her trot outside the barn. "Don't I know it."

"And AJ..." Big Mac turned to follow her departure towards the fields. "... ... ...ain't no crime in spendin' some time with yer friends in the weeks to come."

"Ain't got time, Big Mac."

"I'm just sayin'..." Big Macintosh sighed. "...the way thangs are turnin' out, you may benefit from gettin' as close to ponies outside the family as possible."

Applejack clenched her jaw.

Soon, both siblings parted ways and went about their separate tasks.

Softer Promises

Late at night...

Lying in bed...

Applejack cradled the exposed feather.

And she was smiling.

Her eyes were crusty from tears. A different kind of tears. And yet—upon the cusp of her freckled grin—a heavy breath lingered.

At long last, she broke her gaze from the feather. She sat up and looked out her moonlit window.

Towards the hill...

"... ... ..."

Gently—with motherly care—she put the feather back into its velvet case, clasped it shut, and placed it under pillow. Seconds later, she exited her upstairs bedroom, masking her hoofsteps so as not to wake the rest of the Apple Family household.

The crickets continued their serenade as Applejack's hooves crunched through leaves and grass.

She ascended the hilltop under starlight.

When she at long last reached the graves...

...she squatted down on her hindquarters.

She stared at the names... the dates... the faint orange color in the reflective sheen of the granite.

"I... I know this might sound a bit silly... but..."

She bit her lip, ears drooping.

"...it wasn't you, was it?"

Silence.

"Because... b-because I learned long ago not to wish on shootin' stars. And even still..." She shivered slightly, her eyes moistening yet again. "...even heaven's gotta brush through our manes from time to time. So... if it was y'all..." A heaving breath. At last, a tear broke through. Then a second. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I just..." A whimper. "...I can't imagine how I would've... without... without everythang... everythang I have here... everythang I am here..."

The hilltop was quiet.

"Mmmm..." Applejack rubbed her cheeks dry... only for more tears to blanket her freckles. She smiled through it. Such an easy thing to do, suddenly. "I promise..." She sat tall and proud, breathing inwardly. "I promise on my life... I won't waste it." She shook her head, teeth cracking through the tear-stained grin. "I won't let it all sink so low ever again."

She leaned over. With her eyes shut, she lightly kissed the soft soil between her and yesterday.

And after she was satisfied with the tranquility of the moment, she finally stood up and made her way back towards the farmhouse...

...and the softness that awaited her by the window.

Sisterhooves Mulling

"Sooooooooo... uh..." Big Macintosh wandered to a stop outside the entrance to the Apple Family Barn. He chewed on a stalk of hay, repositioned it in his muzzle, and exhaled. "The Sisterhooves Social, huh?"

"Eeeyup." Applejack huddled at a work table, hammering together two-by-fours.

"You... uh..." Big Macintosh raised an eyebrow. "...you fully in charge of the events this year?"

"Eeeyup." Applejack put another nail in place, hammered it, and checked the sturdiness.

"Granny didn't put up no fuss?"

"Eeenope."

"Hmmm." Big Macintosh nodded. "Well... good to know you've got somethin' to put your head to aside from apple buckin'."

"What?" Applejack straightened her hat and glanced over her sweaty shoulder. "You jealous or somethin'?"

"Hahahah... eeeeeenope!"

"You'd make a great sister, Big Mac!" Applejack smirked as she worked away like an equine carpenter. "Just put on a wig and a frock and yer good to go!"

"You been snortin' the apple stems lately?"

Applejack rolled her eyes. "You dun have to get involved at all, big brother."

"Nawww..." Big Macintosh leaned casually against the barn entrance. "I'll lend a hoof wherever you need me. After all, Apple Bloom lurves this shindig. Does she not?"

"You can say that again." Applejack took a deep breath. "She's been so faithful and patient with the rest of the family all these months—what with the way the farm's been goin' and all."

"You fixin' to reward her?"

"I'm fixin' to reward everypony," Applejack clarified, hammering and sanding at what she was building. "I'm aimin' to make this the whizz-bangiest Sisterhooves Social that ever did grace Ponyville!"

"For real, now?"

"Eeeyup!"

"Good luck with that."

Applejack blinked. She turned to frown over her shoulder. "Are ya sayin' I ain't got what it takes to manage this thang?"

"Oh, you've got what it takes to manage it, alright," Big Macintosh said, chewing on the stalk of hay. "Yer a regular go-getter. Super smart too."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Just that you ain't exactly a showmare, are ya?"

"... ... ..." Applejack blinked, staring off into the corners of the barn.

"Ponies flock to the Sisterhooves Social every year cuz they get a real kick outta Granny's charisma—even as she's gettin' on in years. But now... if she's takin' a step back..." Big Mac shrugged. "Ya might wanna consider searchin' for somepony to help fill the gaps."

"Like who??"

Big Macintosh smiled. "Yer the one with a heap'o'friends, not me." He trotted off lazily. "Surely you've got somepony who'll keep everythang bright and excitin' like for the Social."

Applejack looked at her work. Slowly, a warm smile crept across her freckles. "Well... I sure know somepony who can keep the skies clear..."