"Now, allow me to reiterate where this conversation, and proceeding agreement, has gone over the last half-hour we've all been here so I can fully understand exactly what is going to happen." Twilight remarked as she held a quill and scroll in front of her face with her magic, "If Rainbow Dash can beat Applejack in an eating contest of baked goods, both Applejack and Rarity will have to do any request for Rainbow Dash for an entire day, no matter how outlandish it may be; but, if Applejack wins, Rainbow will have to do favors for both Applejack and Rarity for an entire day."
Twilight then looked up to see if either of the three were about to correct her.
"Within reason of course." Rarity rang in, "Any favor as long as it doesn't result in a detriment to our health."
"Eeyup." Applejack agreed.
"Other than that, that's about it, Twilight." Rainbow remarked, "Can we get started already? I'm getting bored."
"It was your idea that I come out and judge and 'officiate' this, Rainbow." She shot back, before she looked at Rarity, "Are you sure about this, Rarity? I mean, I don't mean to impose, but why are you taking a part in this if you're not a direct participant?"
"Honestly, darling, it was Rainbow Dash's idea." The fashionista remarked with a slight shrug, "She's the one who offered the idea that if she were to fail, she would willingly help me with some designs."
"I said, that I would sooner sit still while Rarity tries using me as a model for her dresses than lose an eating contest to Applejack." Rainbow stated with a roll of her eyes.
"True, but it did still sound like you would be willing to do so, before admitting failure to Applejack in a contest."
"Yeah, I guess that is true, too."
"If you ask me, this contest sounds ridiculous." Starlight, who was standing next to Twilight and idly eating an apple, voiced in.
"It IS ridiculous." Twilight agreed, keeping her attention to her three friends, "Most of your contests usually involve some physical strength or skill. This is the first time I've heard you two doing something like this, and involving several third parties at once." Then raised a hoof to express that she was referring to herself, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie.
"We needed somethin' different. 'Sides, ah wasn't gonna take Rainbow's not-so-kind words to the apple fritters that mah sis and I worked to fix up."
"I guess that is true." She sighed in both exhaustion and annoyance, "Alright, if all three ponies are in complete agreement and understand the parameters of this bet, will all three now sign along the bottom of this document."
All three did as they asked, Rainbow using her mouth to hold the quill, then Applejack holding it with her hoof, and finally Rarity using her magic to do so.
"And as requested of me by both Applejack and Rainbow Dash, with my signature," Twilight explained as she quickly signed the document as well while rolling her eyes, "this document is hereby declared a legally binding contract by an official crown of Equestria; and, as such if either party fails to uphold their end will owe the other associated party members repayment. Blah, blah, blah...I sure hope the three of you know what you're doing; and, understand just how significant this piece of parchment just became to this bet."
"Don't go worryin' about us, Twilight, we know what we're gettin' ourselves into." Applejack stated as she took a seat at a table they had set up for the occasion, "Let's get started, Ah finished some of mah chores early, but there's still work fer me before the day is done."
"Yeah, I'm getting hungry." Rainbow agreed as she sat across from Applejack.
"Okay." Twilight muttered before looking towards Pinkie, who immediately walked over to the pair and presented them with two bakery boxes.
"The rules are super-duper simple!" Pinkie stated, her tone matching that of a sports announcer, "You two try some new flavors I've been working on, and the first to stop eating loses. See? Super-duper simple! Oh, also no leftovers allowed. You have to eat the entire thing, or it doesn't count. So no throwing any of it, dropping it on the ground, or feeding it to Winona. You also lose if you faint, cheat, or barf."
"I believe that last part was a given, Pinkie Pie." Rarity remarked.
"The first course is a my Special Double-Chocolate Gingersnap Cookies." Pinkie announced as she opened both boxes and presenting both with a plate full of cookies.
"And, begin." Twilight exclaimed to which both immediately started eating their plate as fast as possible.
This went on for almost an hour, and eight more experimental recipes Pinkie was trying out, before Applejack and Rainbow really started showing some outward affect that they were reaching their limit.
"Okay, next is a red velvet mini-cake with a drizzling of minty, white chocolate on top." Pinkie exclaimed as she placed a plate of said cake in front of her two friends, one for each.
The cake itself was indeed smaller than the usual size, but it was still of a decent size that it would probably be advised against eating one in a single sitting, especially if one had already eaten something else beforehoof.
"That's a 'mini'?" Starlight asked Twilight in a hushed tone.
Twilight could only offer her student a shrug before turning her attention back to the others, "Okay, does either Applejack or Rainbow want to call it quits now?"
Rainbow shook her head, though given she was leaning back and rubbing her belly, it was clear she was feeling rather full. Applejack did the same and shook her head as well, granted she had a hoof over her mouth. Both did feel full, very much so, but both stubbornly refused to give up.
Twilight sighed, "Okay, this now round ten. Go!" She announced, followed by Applejack and Rainbow digging into the cake, though it was a much slower pace than earlier.
"How much longer do you expect them to last?" Rarity asked the others not involved in the contest.
"Honestly...? I expected either one of them to have passed out by now." Starlight replied, "Especially after round seven with that half-dozen, orange-lime zest cupcakes."
"Technically, both should be full after round four. Given Pinkie apparently didn't consider how big the servings were, those muffins from that round should be completely filling." Twilight rang in.
"I made it those big because how would they be able to tell if they liked it from just a couple of bites." Pinkie remarked in her defense.
"You don't need a lot to tell if you like something, Pinkie."
"Besides, it's a challenge. If it's easy, it isn't a challenge at all." She added with grin.
"She's got a point there." Starlight remarked.
Twilight shot her a glare, but Starlight just grinned and shrugged in response.
By this point both Applejack and Rainbow were close to finishing their cakes, both looking to be on the verge of either puking or fainting. Just then, Applejack started to wobble as if suddenly dizzy before nearly faceplanting onto the treat.
"Is Applejack out?" Starlight asked outloud.
"Oh dear, I sure hope not." Rarity stated with some concern as she and the others took a step closer to the earth pony mare.
"Applejack...?" Twilight called out.
Applejack was still conscious as she gave a loud pained groan, her stomach much too full of food now. In fact she seemed to also be looking at what remains with some level of disgust now.
Not that Rainbow looked any better, she seemed to be looking at hers with the same level of repulsion as Applejack; but seeing her friend fall seem to give her one last boost that she can pull a victory out of this. She proceeded to pick up her plate and forced herself to devour as much of what was left to claim her victory, she went as far as to nearly lick the plate clean of any frosting and crumbs. Rainbow then opened her mouth for a brief moment to let the others confirm that she had eaten it all.
"Rainbow is done with the dish. Applejack, if you manage to finish the dish, you'll still be able to keep going if you so choose." Twilight stated.
Applejack hesitated, but opened her mouth to try forcing herself to take a bite, before immediately shutting it as she nearly felt her stomach try evacuating some of the treats she had already eaten.
Twilight waited a moment, before using her magic to push Applejack's plate away from her, "Okay, I'm just going to call it now."
"Nooo..." Applejack and Rarity almost stated simultaneously, Applejack in more a beaten tone compared to Rarity.
"Applejack, it's clear you can't eat any more. I can respect your resolve and determination to keep going, but you're looking green. Not only do you look incapable of finishing round ten's treat, but you also look ready to vacate the previous rounds' treats. I'll ask now, do you concede?"
Applejack wanted to refuse, but didn't argue that she couldn't eat another bite and nodded in understanding.
"That's it then, Rainbow is the winner."
Rainbow gave a brief cheer, before a hoof flew to the end of her muzzle as she felt all that food suddenly rush back up her throat. She tried stopping it, but it was all for naught as she turned her head just in time to avoid puking onto the table they were using and into a bucket that Twilight managed to levitate over to her at just the nick of time.
All gave disgusted groans as Rainbow regurgitated the last couple of rounds back up, except for Applejack who opted to pulling her hat over her eyes and avoid seeing the pegasus puke, lest she ended up doing the same.
"Agh, looks even worse with all those colors." Starlight stated, noting that it seemed to be in several different colors.
"I do believe I've lost my appetite for the time." Rarity remarked, to which the other agreed.
After about two days, to allow both Rainbow and Applejack enough time to fully recover, Applejack, Rainbow, Rarity, and Twilight all met back up in front of the Apple Family homestead to hear Rainbow's demands.
"I still don't get why you had to show up for this, Twi." Rainbow stated.
"I'm here to make sure your demands abide by your agreement, and that it would be within a reasonable range." She explained.
"It's not like I'm planning to ask them to do something crazy like for them to go and fight a hydra."
"Well, ya won fair and square there, Rainbow. So what favor do ya want from Rares an' mahself?"
"Originally, I was going to ask you two to be my maids for a day, but I kinda prefer you both don't mess around with my stuff; and, I'm gonna be out of the house anyway. So, I figured you two could give me a laugh at least."
"Oh? To what extent are you referring to, Rainbow?"
"How about for one whole day, you two swap jobs and chores." She stated with a wide grin, she then looked towards Rarity, "And, uh..., you have to wear one of your dresses." Then looked at Applejack, "And, you'll have to deal with Opal."
Rarity immediately had a horrified look on her face, "I will not! Rainbow Dash, that is a preposterous request!"
"An' ah'm none too happy about havin' Rares takin' care of my daily work. It's the time of the year them trees need a lot o' farmer's attention if they're gonna yield plenty of fruit for cider season. I just don't think Rares is up to the task." Applejack voiced in, then looked towards Rarity, "No offense."
"None taken."
"Oh come on!" Rainbow exclaimed, "You two agreed to do anything I said if I won, no matter how outlandish it may be."
"Within reason." Rarity rebutted, "There is nothing reasonable about forcing me to do wear one of my designs out in the dirt and sun, where they will get dirty, or worse: tattered."
Rainbow glared at the fashionista for a brief moment before turning to Twilight, "What do you say, Twilight? You came out here to make sure what I asked was reasonable. So is it reasonable or not?"
Immediately three pairs of eyes were on her, and it quickly made her nervous, "Well...I think that...that is to say." She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "While I understand both yours and Applejack's concerns, I have to admit it to both of you that I believe her request is indeed reasonable."
"What?!" Applejack and Rarity stated in unison.
"I understand both your plights, but considering what I know about you two, it is fair."
"How in Equestria is this fair?" Applejack asked.
"Rarity and myself have already helped out on the farm a couple of times already, including the time we helped you understand all the unnecessary steps you were taking with a number of your daily chores; and, you did help Rarity with her fashion show once, and you did technically work with a sewing machine before." Twilight paused and let out a sigh, "Look, I know you two would prefer not doing this, but Rainbow did win your bet fair and square. As such, Rainbow can now ask you two to fulfill your end of the bargain. On top of that, you both signed a contract to do so, as long as it was within reason. You both already know my opinion on the matter."
A moment of silence passed between the four ponies, before Applejack kicked up some dirt.
"Alright, if that's the judgement, then so be it." Applejack remarked, "But, Ah'm gettin' Rarity some help. Like ah said, there's a lot ta be done, and I dun think Rarity is up ta the task."
"Fine, fine." Rainbow rang in.
"If that's the case, I'll arrange for somepony to help you too, Applejack." Rarity stated.
"Ah'll be jus' fine, Rares."
"Perhaps, but just in case."
"I'm granting you both a couple of days before you fulfull your end to do whatever you believe needs to be done so both of you can do the other's job for a day." Twilight stated, "Does that sound fair to you, Rainbow?"
"Yeah, sure. It'll give me some time to free up an entire day so I can watch them."
With that said, the four went their separate ways, as Twilight shook her head about this whole situation.
Author's Note
I had initially intended for this to be just a one-shot, but it seems since my style has changed to normally have 4K+ words due to some detailing, I have to extend it to a couple more chapters. I'm thinking only two more chapters, but I can't say, I just know I don't intend to drag this out for too long.
Anyway hope you all like where I'm taking this. Just a heads up, I can't say when the next chapter will be done, since this is technically suppose to be 'comedic' and that's not my usual forte of work. I'll try to find ways to make it funny, but it'll take some time to make sure I'm doing this right.
