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                The troubles with feathers                 
                      -by Peri-clod-                       
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                         Chapter 1                         
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Chapter 1
"Nice try, AJ!  You were totally cheating but except for that, it was a fair race."
RD calmly smiled down to her friend, who were now bursting into flames.
"Ya call ME a cheater?  ME? Dash,  it wasn't my fault that you trip over that branch. Ah win and that's my final word."
Everypony knew these two friends. Applejack and Dash were often together on Fridays, racing, wrestling, lauhting..there was no place for tea parties and  dress changing.  It didn't matter, though. Both of them were tomcolts and even if one of them was pegasus and the other simple earth pony,  you could practically see that these two has a special  connection.
"..hmm.. I dunno Aplejack." Rainbow started in a kind of sarcastic overtone. "I didn't saw you put the branch down, but you could just buck it from the tree..."
'You're just jealous that you lose." Said the farmer calmly not wanting to let this conversacion continue. She started walking away,  avoiding her rainbow-maned friend.  That of course, made Dash angry. Grumbling under her breath she leapt forward and smacked the cowpony's flank  with her wing.
"Ouch! RAINBOW!! What in tarnation was that?!"  Furious southerned voice filled the racer's ears. Dash smirked to herself. That was the reaction she wanted to hear.
"See ya!" She winked at her and with a  flap of her wings she dissapeared, leaving the familiar rainbow trail behind her.
Applejack just stood there, red-faced glaring at the small figure in the sky.
She looked at her attacked flank and quickly shook her head.
"That pegasus sure loves making me angry."
*****
"Nononono..You get it all wrong AJ. It's not like I wasn't happy when I heard that the two of us were sent by the Friendship Map. I was..ehh..  not sure how we were going to help...that couple."
Rainbow watched as her grandfather Wind Strike nuzzled his old newfound wife Luise Seed. He smirked at her with his knowing grin. He mouthed 'thank you squirt and good luck'. She quickly turned her head back to the road ignoring the heat building up in her cheeks. Her cutie mark was shining and so was the cutie mark of AJ.  Both of them waved at the older ponies before walking in the direction of train station.
"Then why were you so..weird all the time?" Applejack looked at her, her stubborness refused to give up until she'll find out, what was bothering her best friend.  She started blaming herself, that maybe she was a boring company for  her active bestie. Dash glanced back at her friend,  her thoughts lost somewhere in the previous days. She definetly, didn't want Applejack to feel bad, so she just sighed knowing she had to let it out.
"Listen, I just thought that we'll gonna have some kind of big adventure. I mean, you're almost as awesome as me, so there was no way we would not enjoy our friendship mission. But when I found out that we need to consoll my stubborn grandfather to apologize to his old rival...well..nothing adventurous about that."
AJ tilted her head to the side cutely, finally catching up with Rainbow's thoughts.
"..Yes, well, Ah was mighty surprised too,..but we did well, didn't we? Ah mean, look at 'em, old folks," Dash was almost in train but turned around in the direction of Applejack's hoof,  "They look happy, don't they? Maybe you're more than a energic sack full of feathers." She nudget her in the ribs  in a playful behaviour.
"Yeah. I guess I'm just that awesome." Smile was finally finding its way back to Rainbow's face. she waved at her grandfather and the two hopped in to Ponyville Express leaving the beautiful mountain behind.  They look through the window admiring  the nature around them.
"Look Dash,.. Wind Strike and Luise are such a happy ponies to live in this parts. Ah may be not a big poet, but these mountains  sure is amazing, don't ya think?"
"Yeah. Amazing."  Was the only reply. Farmpony was still looking at the passing trees so she didn't recognize her partner looking at her.  Suddenly she felt like somepony was staring at her.
"Do Ah have something on my face, Rainbow Dash?" She slowly turned her head, one eyebrow raised in a questioning manner.
The multicolored pegasus just blinked at first then quickly shook her head. Those magenta eyes were shinning with some mocking overtone.
"Nah, you're cool. I just..thought about something.."
Applejack didn't understand a word herf riend was saying. "About what, sugarcube?"
"Don't be curious, cowpony! It'll make you old!" She laughed and slapped her left wing over the other mare's flank-again.
"H-Hey! Cut it out!"  AJ flinched,  mad at first, but soon joined the laughter. They were both laughting like a drunk stallions, and Applejack tried  not to think about the place where the rufffled feathers touched her silky coat.
'That pony sure loves to get physical with her friends..'