Rainbow and Applejack were playing a game of horseshoes, Rainbow grinned as she threw a light blue horseshoe which landed right next to a small wooden pole “Woohoo that was a great shot.”

Applejack grinned “Quite but Ah bet Ah can do better.” Applejack throws a golden horseshoe only for it to barely land behind Rainbow’s.

Rainbow smiled “Not a bad shot but I’m still in the lead.” Applejack grumbled as Rainbow threw another horseshoe only for it to land next to her other one.

Applejack smiled “Ah’ll show ya Ah’m truly made of.” With a sharp minded focus she threw the horseshoe which landed perfectly on the pole.

Rainbow was stunned “I lost.”

Applejack smiled “Don’t worry about it, Sugarcube it’s all good fun.”

Gilda flew over with a smile “How are you two doing?”

Applejack grinned “I’m just proving to Dash that I’m a better athlete.”

That snapped Rainbow out of her stupor, she growled “Oh yeah, you think you’re a better athlete because you beat me in a single competition. I challenge you to an Iron Pony Competition, we will perform various athletic activities and the one who has the most points wins.”

Applejack grinned “You’re on!”

Soon as the activities were being set up Sunset was sitting next to Gilda and Cloud while Pinkie and Spike were the announcers. Fluttershy was keeping score, Gilda frowned “Are you sure Rainbow can do this, Applejack’s an Earth Pony who has worked hard all her life?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow “You should have more faith in your marefriend, as for me I’m eager to see how my student is doing. I have not seen her face a challenge such as this.”

Stormwind smiled “She is doing very well.”

Sunset replied mentally “I know, I hope she keeps this up.”

Rainbow and Applejack are standing in front of a series of barrels. Applejack darted around the rapidly only to nudge on as she was going past, so while she did in seventeen seconds she got a five second penalty. Rainbow then ran around the same course in eighteen seconds avoiding all the of the the barrels, Rainbow smiled “That’s a point to me.”

Rainbow looked at the bucking machine, she looked Applejack “I’m going to do my best but you will win this one, you do this all the time.” Rainbow bucks as hard as she could ringing the bell on for Applejack to shatter it with a single buck.

The next round involved which one could buck off Spike first which Rainbow narrowly won pushing the scores to two-one in Rainbow’s favour. After Rainbow fails miserably at the lasso contest they are tied at two each. Rainbow wins the ball tossing contest then Applejack wins the hail bale toss. Rainbow beat Applejack in a hoof wrestle only for Applejack to win the hoofball kick.

At the halfway point they were at five-five, the push-ups round ended at ninety-nine each leaving Rainbow frowning at her wings. Applejack wins the long-jump while Rainbow wins the chick wrangling, after a few more rounds they were tied at nine-nine.

Rainbow nodded “So one last competition Applejack, may the best pony win.”

Applejack grinned as they bumped hooves “You’re on.” The two on both sides of the mud pit pulled as hard as they could on the rope. After a few minutes of pulling as hard as they could they heard a snap, they blinked as they saw the rope torn in half.

Rainbow frowned “It seems like a tie.”

Applejack blinked “But that means neither of us win.”

Rainbow smiled “Well there is the Running of the Leaves is coming up, how about we decided who wins there.”

Applejack grinned “You’re on.” The two hoof bumped sealing the deal.

Two days later the Rainbow and Applejack were standing at the starting line alongside many different ponies including the Mystical and Magnificent Twilight. The two burst forwards at rapid speed, Rainbow frowned as she knocked a rock of out of Applejack’s path. Rainbow had a lead, her lighter frame made accelerating easier not to mention her combat training which allowed to accelerate faster around corners.

Applejack growled knowing she couldn’t keep up with her in a straight line headed up a nearby cliff allowing to get ahead of Rainbow by using the additional momentum. Rainbow pushed her legs to their mas as she caught up to Applejack. Rainbow growled as Applejack bumped into her, she shook her head just as Applejack tried to push her she pushed down on the ground flinging herself off the ground causing Applejack to trip as she fell sideways.

Rainbow rolled her eyes as she made her way towards the finish line, she smiled as he crossed the ling first with Applejack closing in a close second with Twilight making third.

Applejack grimaced “I can’t believe I lost to you.”

Rainbow smiled “You are very strong and have area that you beat me in. After all we tied up to this point, it was just the fact I accelerate better around turns because I have trained to do that. You did well Applejack.”

Applejack smiled “Thanks Rainbow, at the end of the day this was just one competition and I’m we will compete more in the future.”

Rainbow smiled “Why don’t you join me and Gilda at Sugarcube Corner for some milkshakes. All this running has made me quite tired.”

Gilda meanwhile smiled at Sunset “My marefriend is calling me.”

Cloud took a deep breath “I’m glad I didn’t enter, those two would have trampled me.”

Sunset smiled “Speaking of which we should go and eat ourselves. I’m quite hungry.” The two giggled as their bellies growled in agreement.

Author's Note

I feel one fo the big problems with this episode is it contradicts an episode later. Rainbow loves to win but more than that she loves to win when the odds against her.