With her lunchbreak ended, it was time for Applejack to get back to work. She felt...not quite as rested as she should, despite the fact that she'd been sitting down for almost an hour. Could be that my age is finally gettin' to me after all these years. Shoot...now I know why granny napped so much. I'm more tired than a bear about to hybernate.

Rising from beneath the tree she had sat under all this time, she turned to Little Mac, who was fast asleep in the shade. "I'll let you sleep awhile longer, young'in. You've had a long day too."

The little colt curled up on his side, smiling to himself as he slept. Applejack couldn't help but smile too. "To be that young again."

Frowning, she walked back towards the next part of the orchard, where Big Mac was bucking trees too.

"Hey there Mac! You go ahead and take a little break. I'll take over."

"Eeyup." He said with a tired smile. Placing a piece of straw between his teeth and heading toward an already bucked tree, a couple of apples in his mouth for himself to snack on while he rested.

"Well, I'd better get to it." She said to herself. These apples aren't gonna shake themselves out of the trees."
***

"Come on, cadets! I've seen butterflies flap better than that!" Rainbow shouted. The routine was coming along nicely, but some of the newer bolts were having some trouble learning the new moves. Years of experience had taught her that not everyone caught on super quickly like she had, but it was still frustrating.

With a few short blasts from the whistle around her neck, the new wonderbolt cadets all landed before her, though not all of them landed on their hooves.

"You're all doing well so far." She announced, pacing before them all. "However, you'll need to be a lot better if you want to become a full fledged Wonderbolt. I crashed plenty of times in my day to get where I'm at." Pausing for dramatic effect, she continued. "But the most important thing is what you do after you crash. You either stay down and quit, or you get back up and do it again."

She grinned when she saw the cadets smile. She might have been the captain, but she never wanted them to think she didn't care. What kind of role model would she be if she did that?

"Now, I want all of you to go get some lunch in you and fuel up! Afterwards, we'll take it to the next level."

As her cadets flew off to get something to eat, Rainbow Dash took flight herself, heading for her office. Looking around it, she could hardly believe that it was hers. Long ago, she had been a cadet, just like them, and now...now she was the best of the best. Just like she'd always wanted.

"Ok," She said aloud, sitting at her desk. "Just a few bits of paperwork to take care of while I eat the lunch that A.J. packed me."

Lifting the paper sack from beneath her desk with her teeth, and opening the folder on her desk to read the paperwork. It was super boring, but she'd learned long ago that even paperwork had it's place...not that she'd ever admit that to Twilight. Didn't need anypony thinking she was an egghead.

As she lifted the sandwich from her bag, a small slip of parchment slipped out and landed on her desk. The words "Have a good day, Dash. I love you!" were clearly visible. Dash couldn't help it. Her eyes teared up and she set the sandwich down, holding the parchment to her face. How the hay did I get so lucky?
***

Applejack had just come in from the orchard, exhausted but pleased. She'd made great progress on the harvest. There's was a lot of work left, but she was certain that she and Big Mac would be able to handle it. Observing the angle of the sun, she realized that Rainbow would most likely be home soon.

Sighing, she made her way upstairs, filling the tub with water. As she cleased the day's work from her coat, she couldn't comprehend the feelings that were beginning to rise in her. Her stomach felt tight, and her mind felt heavy. Her chest, too, felt as though it was constricting, and she felt very anxious. Just need to rest a bit. That's all.

She thought she'd get comfortable in her rocking chair, maybe read the new Equestrian Almanac while she did so, but she hadn't even taken two steps out of the bathroom, when she felt her right front hoof go numb and give out on her. Her chest was tightening more, and she was having a lot of trouble catching her breath. She wanted to call out for help, but her vision was darkening. Then...she knew only darkness.

Author's Note

I realized that this fic had an unpublished chapter, so I thought I'd wrap it up and get it out. After rereading the first chapter, I knew I had to keep thus one going. The contest I was trying to enter it in is long over, but I still want to see it through til the end. More to come!
-Quill