Apple bucking season had been in full swing for a few days, and Sweet Apple Acres was as bountiful as ever. Applejack herself averaged around twenty barrels a day this time of year, a feat so impressive not even Big McIntosh himself could best it. At this rate, the apples would be harvested in no time at all.
Applejack reared up in front of a tree full of apples and bunched up her hind muscles. She kicked the log of the tree, causing the apples to fall into the bucket on her back. "Apple buckin' is goin' great so far!" She looked at the stack of apples on her back with a satisfied smile. "I'm sure to beat mah record this year. Sure as apple pie.”
She trotted back to the line of large barrels, dumping her bucket full of apples into the one closest to her. Applejack mentally counted the full barrels. "Thirty-four! Only need one more 'till I beat mah record!" If every barrel is made up of five buckets, then I need six more buckets to pass my record! Every bucket is around three trees worth of apples, so that means… She muttered some math under her breath. Eighteen more trees and I'll be the greatest apple bucker in all of Sweet Apple Acres!
The problem was, every tree in her line of sight was already bucked and accounted for. Big Macintosh might not get as many buckets filled in a day as Applejack, but he was a mighty fine worker. Curse him fer that, she thought with a tinge of annoyance. She loved working hard, but after four days of working herself to the hoof, she had to admit it. She was tired. Nopony would ever find out, but she was.
"Hey, Applejack!"
Applejack jumped at the sudden voice, almost knocking her line of barrels over. Many years of experience shined through as she caught them at the last second, only a few apples spilling over. She looked over at the source of the voice to find a familiar pony looking at her. "Oh, howdy, Rainbow Dash," she greeted with a nod of her head.
Rainbow Dash flew in front of Applejack with a blur of rainbow streaking behind her. She landed cleanly on the floor and kicked the fallen apples back into the barrels. "Looks like apple bucking season is going great! I was flying overhead and noticed you filling all these barrels.” She gazed excitedly at Applejack. “This must be a record, right?"
Applejack shook her head. "Nope, although I reckon I'll be able to beat my record today. I'm two barrels away." She gazed over to the lines of trees that mocked her and frowned. "But all the trees on this side of the orchard've already been bucked. I don't know if I'll make it to the other side an' back in time." Her spirits drooped as her back began to ache as well. She adjusted the tub on her shoulders into a more comfortable position.
Once she looked back at Rainbow Dash, she noticed her wings flapping in excitement. "Are you kidding? I can take you there and back quicker than you can say 'Apple bucking record'!" She spread her wings and lowered her neck. "Come on, hop on!"
Applejack took a step back, furrowing her eyebrows in mild confusion. "Err… On yer back?" She watched as Rainbow Dash nodded. "Are ya sure?" She mulled it over. "Is that a good idea?"
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Come on, AJ! I'm plenty strong. I can carry you on my back!" She trotted in place. "It'll be a good workout." Applejack opened her mouth to protest, but Rainbow Dash cut her off before she could even speak. "Yes, and the apples on the way back too. Come on, have you met any pony stronger than me?"
Applejack supposed she had a point. Rainbow Dash was the most talented flier she knew. Hay, she was the most talented pony she knew. Her strength gave Applejack herself a run for her money, although Applejack liked to think that she was stronger than Rainbow Dash. Living on the farm made her strong. Sure, she couldn't fly like Rainbow Dash, but she could haul wagons like nopony else.
"Nah," Applejack replied. "Yer the strongest pony I know." She nodded at her, speaking honestly. "Let's get to it, then." She hopped on Rainbow Dash's back, which was certainly a sight to be seen. A pony riding on another pony's back. The thought was ridiculous, and Applejack suspected Rainbow Dash thought so too. She could hear her giggling as they took off.
"Okay, Applejack, hold on tight!" Rainbow Dash looked back at Applejack with a cheeky grin before accelerating to a speed Applejack had never gone before. She held onto Rainbow Dash's mane with her teeth, and kept her hat on her head with one of her front hooves. Within a matter of a few minutes, they were on the other side of Sweet Apple Acres, with rows and rows of full trees ready to be bucked.
Applejack just about fell off of Rainbow Dash's back. She stumbled off, trying to hold down the bile rising up her throat. "This is what I get fer workin' with an empty belly," she groaned. She shook her head in an attempt to make the sick feeling go away. "Thanks fer the ride, Rainbow Dash. Gotta get to buckin' now." She looked at the numerous trees laid in front of her, and with an unenthusiastic (and exhausted) sigh, she started to make her way over to them.
Rainbow Dash was on her tail, flying over next to her. "Hold on, AJ. Do you want some help? I'd be happy to buck a few trees, even if I won't be as good as you." She stayed airborne next to Applejack, awaiting an answer.
Applejack thought for a moment. The help would be nice, she admitted. But I can't accept help if I wanna break my record proper. She reluctantly shook her head. "That's mighty kind o' you, Rainbow Dash, but I've gotta do this on mah own."
Rainbow Dash dropped to the ground next to her, a look of disappointment on her face. "Are you sure? Maybe I can help after you've beat your record. What do you need, five more trees?"
"Actually, I need eighteen more."
"Eighteen more trees?" Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped. "Holy hay, Applejack! Are you sure you're not overworking yourself? You're the most hard-working pony I know, but this is a lot, even for you."
Applejack shrugged. "It's fine, really. If ya really want to help, maybe ya can bring an empty barrel on back so I can store some apples. I can get the other barrel later."
Rainbow Dash frowned slightly at Applejack's request. Applejack's heart twinged. Did she somehow hurt Rainbow's feelings? She certainly hadn't meant to, she just got so caught up in her ambition. Apple bucking season only lasted for so long, and every year, Applejack wanted to best herself. She'd been stuck at her current record for three years in a row, though. That was three years too many, and she was determined to beat it this year. Thirty-five barrels in one day was a lot, admittedly. But she was so close this time, and if she didn't do it then, then it was going to have to wait another year.
Applejack pressed her lips together, arguing with herself while she watched Rainbow Dash ready up to take off again. She was taking much longer than usual, though. With a groan of exasperation, Applejack stomped on the floor. "Alright, fine. You can help me, but you'll need to bring yer own apple catchin' bucket." She chuckled softly. "We can't share mine. You won't be able to keep up."
Rainbow Dash cocked her head with a smirk plastered on her blue face. "Is that a challenge, AJ? Are you challenging me?" She turned her trot into a gallop, setting off into the sky with a final remark before leaving Applejack in a cloud of rainbow. "You'll see!"
Applejack shook her head, a reluctant smile creeping up to her face. She usually did not like it when anypony bothered her during apple bucking time, but Rainbow Dash's sudden appearance did not bother her as much as it would if it were, say, Twilight Sparkle. In fact, the two ponies were hanging out a lot more often than usual, and in spite of their clashing competitiveness, Applejack had a lot of fun with Rainbow Dash.
Applejack only got around to one tree by the time Rainbow Dash came back. She knew she was fast, but Applejack thought she could have done more than one tree in the time that Rainbow Dash was gone. Either she slowed down, or Rainbow Dash flew as fast as a rocket. It had to have been the latter. Applejack never gets distracted from her work. Especially not from the thought of one of her best friends, now that would be ridiculous. There was no reason for that to even be happening. Sure, they were close, but that didn't matter. She was friends with a lot of ponies. So why is it different with Rainbow Dash?
"Wow, Rainbow Dash, you came back quick, huh?" Applejack watched as her friend dropped a pair of barrels on the floor, her sides heaving for air.
"What? No," she spoke between breaths. "I had to go slow so I wouldn't drop this pile I made." Rainbow Dash sat down, stretching out her neck. "I thought you'd have already filled that tub on your back."
Applejack's face heated up. "Naw… I dunno what came over me. I was about as concentrated as a pig in a mud bath," she admitted. She was never usually this distracted, and Rainbow being here seemed to make it worse. "I'm just hungry."
Rainbow Dash observed Applejack closely, making the orange pony's mane bristle. "When's the last time you ate?"
Applejack shrugged, thinking back on her day. "Musta been 'round breakfast time right before I got to work," she said. Now that she thought about it, it was a long time ago. It had to have been the hunger making her feel weird for sure.
"Breakfast time?" Rainbow Dash's voice came out in a stutter. Almost entirely at a loss for words. "It's almost night time!"
"Night time?" Applejack looked at the sky over her head, only then realizing that it had indeed been getting dark. She had been working all day, and she didn't even notice. "Oh hay, I really gotta get to work then." She stumbled around, trying to decide which side of the trees she should start with.
Something, however, was distracting her. And it wasn't the lack of apples in her bucket. The sun was just about to set, and the sky was turning an impressive mix of pinks and yellows and oranges. The sky wasn't what amazed her, though. She saw that everyday. No, it was the pony sitting a few feet away, awkwardly looking at the tree. A ridiculous idea, that's for sure. But it kept Applejack from aligning herself properly as she kicked the trunk of the tree.
Thud.
"Ow, dang it," Applejack muttered as several apples bounced off her head. She looked up at the tree with such disappointment that any bypasser would have thought it was the tree's fault. She rubbed on the top of her hat with a hoof, frowning at the tree. The frown, really, was for herself though. An idea was forming, and she refused to admit it.
Then, Rainbow Dash's snickering started. The blue and rainbow coloured pony had been watching her, just enough to see Applejack embarrass herself. Perfect. The snickering turned into a full laugh, snorts and all. Applejack wanted to be upset, but she couldn't help but smile fondly at Rainbow Dash. The way she shut her eyes when she laughed, and her nose wrinkled when she snorted, and the way her smile was uneven in an everlasting smirk, and the way her hair bounced when she breathed between giggles and–
"What in tarnation am I thinking?"
Applejack's sudden outburst caught Rainbow Dash's attention. As the pegasus caught her breath, she wiped a tear from her cheek and faced Applejack. "Are you okay?" Her voice threatened to crack, probably from holding back a laugh.
Applejack nodded too quickly. "Yup! Just stood too far back," she excused herself. She shook her head and began to pick up apples to throw them into her bucket. She had to beat her record, right? But the record didn't seem too important to her anymore.
"Whatever you say, Applejack," Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. "Say, when are you going to teach me how to buck apples as well as you do?"
Applejack's cheeks flushed. "Uh.. Yah probably won't be able to get it perfectly in one day, but I can teach you," she offered. "I know you got strong wings, but this takes a different kinda strength that pegasi don't typically have, what with your flying and all."
Rainbow Dash huffed. "Whatever you say, AJ. I bet I can do it, though." She grinned smugly and wiggled her eyebrows at an already red Applejack.
Applejack opened her mouth to tell Rainbow Dash off, but nothing came out. She turned around in annoyance to the next pair of trees. "Alrighty, Rainbow. Watch and learn." She turned her flank to the tree and gave it a strong kick. She moved slightly to catch all the apples that fell from the tree onto her back, noting that the tree was now bare. She looked proudly up at the leaves of the tree and then back at Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash stared at Applejack for a moment, her eyes wide and wings extended. Applejack leaned forward a bit, narrowing her eyes at her. "Everythin' okay, Dash?" Her voice held a mildly sarcastic tone to it.
Rainbow Dash shook her head quickly, snapping out of whatever she was in. She forced her wings back to her side with an embarrassed smile. "Yeah! Just uh… Well it's always so impressive seeing you get all the apples with one kick," she said sheepishly.
Applejack rubbed the floor with her hoof. "Aw shucks, Rainbow Dash. That's mighty kind o’ you." Receiving a genuine compliment from Rainbow Dash always perked up Applejack, especially considering how talented Rainbow Dash herself was. “How about you give it a go, I beat my record, and we can hang out a bit after?” She turned back to the tree, missing out on Rainbow Dash’s huge grin.
“Sure! That totally sounds awesome,” she responded ecstatically. She decided to give the tree her best attempt at a buck. She lined up with the tree carefully, just how she’d seen Applejack do, but much slower, and gave it a strong kick. About half of the apples on the tree fell.
Applejack gave her an impressed whistle. “That was pretty good, Rainbow Dash, ‘specially considerin’ you don’t buck hundreds of apples every year,” she expressed. “Judgin’ by how many apples are left, I’d say yer a two-buck pony.”
Rainbow Dash’s head tilted, a slight blush painted on her face. “A what?”
“You know, a two-buck pony?” Applejack thought it was the most obvious thing in the world. When she noticed that Rainbow Dash held that same vacant, confused expression on her face, she groaned in exasperation. “It means it takes yah two bucks to clear a tree,” she explained irritably.
“Ohhh. Is that good?” Rainbow Dash’s voice came out in an excited squeak, kind of like a young filly at a country fair.
Applejack nodded earnestly. “Definitely. Most ponies your size take three or four bucks to clear a tree at first. You could be a great bucker, yet.” Maybe you should come live with me and I'll teach you everythin’ there is to know about apple-buckin’. Wait, what? She shook her head, resisting the urge to slap herself.
There were a lot of things wrong with what she had just thought. Rainbow Dash was perfectly happy living in her home in Ponyville, for starters. Her dream was to be a Wonderbolt, not be an apple farmer. And she definitely had no interest in living with Applejack. Why would she? Sure, the two of them were one of the closest pairs in their friend group, but they admittedly liked to butt heads a lot. In a friendly way, of course. It drove them to work even harder, and each of them liked the added competition, but there was no reason for Applejack to even think about the possibility of anything like that.
“AJ?”
“Huh?”
“I was trying to ask you why you weren’t getting more apples.”
“Oh.” Applejack had done it again. She let her mind wander, and got herself distracted. “Can’t wait to have dinner later,” she mumbled as she started bucking trees again.
“Ooh, are we going to get food together?” Rainbow Dash herself bucked the tree for the second time, most of the apples making their way into her bucket. “Where do you want to go?”
Applejack shrugged. "I dunno, you pick. It'll be my treat," she replied absently. She'd been forcing herself to focus on the apples before turning her attention to Rainbow Dash, who was picking up the apples on the floor and throwing them into her bucket.
"Cool." Applejack heard a thud followed by the unmistakable sound of apples hitting against wood. "Maybe we can go to Sugarcube Corner and pick up some pie."
Applejack's mouth watered at the thought of some pie. "Sure thing, Dash. We can say hi to the Cakes while we're there, and Pinkie Pie if she's around," she pointed out as she bucked another tree. She caught the apples in her bucket, but a few spilled over. She waited for Rainbow Dash to finish her second tree and the two of them walked back to the barrels. Applejack unloaded her apples into the barrel, feeling the weight disappear from her shoulders.
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said slowly. "I was also thinking maybe we could go to the park or something and eat there," she suggested with a bashful look that Applejack had never seen before.
The park? Applejack looked at the sun, which threatened to drop below the horizon, and realized that it would be really nice to have a meal at the park at sunset. She had to work as fast as she could to finish up in time.
The next ten minutes passed by about as quick as the last hour had. Every muscle on Applejack's body felt as though it'd give out at its slightest whim, but she was determined to finish in time. Apple after apple, tree after tree, bucket after bucket, Applejack slowly reached her goal. Her hind hooves ached from kicking so many trees, but it was sign of a job well done.
"Last load until you beat your record," Rainbow Dash said excitedly. She had stopped bucking trees after a few minutes, beginning to grow tired of the repetitive work. "You got it, Applejack!"
Applejack smiled at Rainbow Dash, her expression full of determination. She reared to a tree, and gave it a mighty buck. It might have been the strongest buck she'd ever bucked. "Yeehaw!" She exclaimed as she felt the apples drop onto her back. "Now to put 'em in the bucket and make it official."
She pranced over to the nearly full barrel, the excitement relieving her of her aches. She took a deep breath before thrusting the apples perfectly into the barrel, filling it to the brim as she knew it would. Rainbow Dash stared at her with a huge grin and then sped over to her, knocking them into a rolling ball of pony which ended up in Applejack being under Rainbow Dash.
"You did it!" Rainbow Dash exploded into the air, her wings flapping furiously. "You beat your record!"
Applejack took a moment to compose herself and then squealed, just about rolling on the dirt floor. "I did! I did beat mah record!" She took a deep breath and sat up, getting back on her hooves. "All thanks to you, Rainbow Dash," she said thankfully. The blue pony opened her mouth, but closed it once Applejack shot her a look. "I'm serious, Rainbow. If it weren't for you, I'd be stuck back at the other side o' the orchard."
"Well, it's no big deal. I'd do anything to help you, Applejack," Rainbow Dash said. She looked at the two large barrels full of apples and then at Applejack. "You know, I might have gone a bit over my head," she admitted. "I don't think I can carry you and all those apples home." She gave an embarrassed grin.
Applejack blinked, then started laughing. "I know, Rainbow Dash. There's no way on Equestria that you'd've been able to transport all that and me."
Rainbow Dash's wings stopped moving and she dropped a few feet before stopping herself in mid-air. "Really? So then why'd you let me help?"
Applejack shrugged. "I know you wanted to help me, and that means a lot to me, so I agreed." She paused before speaking up again. "Plus, I reckoned it'd be nice to hang out with you. Makes the job a lot more fun."
"Well of course I'd make it more fun. I'm Rainbow Dash, I make everything awesome," she said with a confident grin. She looked down at Applejack and then frowned. "So I guess we won't be going out to eat something today, huh?"
Applejack shook her head. "Naw, I don't think we'll make it in time," she said. "But we can go back to the farm, and I can bake us an apple pie."
That seemed to cheer up Rainbow Dash. "Oh great idea! Your pies are the best. Maybe tomorrow we can go somewhere?"
The soft tone that Rainbow Dash switched to for the last sentence surprised Applejack. She almost sounded nervous. "Yeah, that'd be great! Didja want to invite somepony else?" I doubt she'd want to hang out with just me.
Rainbow Dash bit her lip anxiously. "No, I kinda wanted it to be just us two," she said quietly. "Uh, if you're okay with it of course!"
Applejack was taken aback. She wanted nothing more than to spend time with Rainbow Dash alone. "Okay with it? 'Course I'm okay with it," she replied almost too eagerly. Tone it down, Applejack.
Rainbow Dash did an aerial backflip. "Awesome! How's five for you?"
"Sounds perfect," Applejack said. "I'll do my share of buckin' in the morning. Big Mac can pick up the slack tomorrow."
Rainbow Dash grinned. "Then let's get to walking! I really want that apple pie… Do you have cider by any chance?"
"And then Pinkie Pie knocked over Twilight's carefully organized pile of books," Rainbow Dash said between fits of laughter. "I swear, if it was anypony else, they would have been at the receiving end of Twilight's magic!"
Applejack laughed at Rainbow Dash's story. "And what did Twilight do?"
"She made Spike clean it up, obviously. But you should have seen her face!" Rainbow Dash shot in front of Applejack, flying backwards to face her. "She was all 'I am so so so so so so sorry!'" She made a silly face, doing her best Pinkie Pie impression. "It was hilarious!" She burst out into laughter again.
"Ha! Typical Pinkie Pie," Applejack commented with a smile. She made eye contact with Rainbow Dash for a moment before they both looked away, flustered. Rainbow Dash went back to flying alongside Applejack instead.
"I'm really glad we got to hang out, Rainbow Dash." Applejack's voice was barely audible. She looked at the trees surrounding them as they spoke. Her body ached from the everyday chores of the farm, and the extra toll of hard work from the day before. "I really needed a break from the farm. I'd be darned if I admitted it, but here I am."
Rainbow Dash glanced at the floor. "Yeah, this has been fun," she spoke. There was silence for a few moments. Comfortable silence. "Actually… I was wondering if you wanted to do something like this again?" Her voice held the same, strange tone as when she had originally asked to hang out the previous day.
Applejack felt her face heat up. "Yeah, sure. Just us two again?" She looked over to Rainbow Dash, who was gazing at her wide-eyed. The pegasus blinked and nodded. "Alright, sounds like fun, Rainbow."
Rainbow Dash swallowed, her heart picking up pace. "Uh, one more thing."
"Hmm?"
"I was thinking… maybe… make it more of a…" Rainbow Dash muttered some words that Applejack didn't quite pick up.
"What was that, Dash?"
Rainbow Dash dropped to the ground and stayed in place. Applejack stopped walking and turned back to look at her, a confused expression on her face. "I meant… maybe like a date?"
Suddenly, Applejack was very aware of every little function of her body. She felt her heart beat, her lungs breathe. Her very existence was amplified. A date? Applejack thought. Rainbow Dash was asking her on a date? "As in a romantic date?"
Rainbow Dash inhaled sharply. "N-never mind. Forget I said anything." She pursed her lips and turned away.
"No, I was just wonderin' if you meant it that way because…" Words were just coming out of her mouth now, but she had to be honest. This was the easiest way to be honest; let your brain say what's on its mind. "Well, 'cause I was hopin' you did mean it that way." She took a step closer to Rainbow Dash, who slowly turned around.
"You did?" Rainbow Dash's face was more surprised than anything. Her wings were fully extended at her side. After she processed what that meant, her cheeks flushed into a deep shade of red. "Oh! Well! That's good! B-because I really like you," she blurted out. Her eyes widened as she heard herself say it.
Applejack thought that was incredibly endearing. She couldn't help but blush too. "Really?"
Rainbow Dash nodded. "Yeah, I think I always have," she said an octave higher. She cleared her throat and kept talking in her regular register. "I didn't realize it until a few days ago, which is why I was flying over the farm yesterday. I wanted to tell you."
"So that's why you really wanted to stay," she realized. Rainbow Dash nodded. "Aw shucks. Well, I really like you too," Applejack said softly. "It didn't really hit me 'til yesterday, which is why I was all flustered," she said with a laugh. "Miracle I got to beat my record, really."
Rainbow Dash grinned smugly. "So what I'm hearing is that you were so attracted to me, I managed to distract you?" She crossed her hoofs. "Now that must be a record."
Applejack's face flushed a deeper red. "What? Uh- N-No!" She stumbled over her words. Refusing to admit that she was actually right, she lunged over and tackled the blue pony. "Shut up, Rainbow Dash!"
Rainbow Dash grunted at the impact and found herself trapped under Applejack's strong hooves. "Okay, okay. I deserve that." She paused, and a mischievous grin fell on her face. "Bet you like this position, AJ."
Applejack jumped off of her. "Darn it, Rainbow Dash! Don't make me take it back," she threatened. She adjusted her hat to hide her face as she looked away from Rainbow Dash, who flew overhead and landed in front of Applejack.
"Okay, okay fine. I'll stop teasing you," Rainbow Dash said. "But we're still going out tomorrow, right?" She brought her hoof up to lift the brim of Applejack's hat, uncovering her red face.
Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash, who was suddenly really, really close to her. She narrowed her eyes playfully at her. "Sure as apple pie."
Author's Note
First story! I hope you enjoyed this little one shot. I kept thinking about Appledash and wanted to write something for them. This was a lot of fun to write. If you have any suggestions or comments, please leave them down below. It's my first MLP fic ever, so let me know if the characters seemed off so I can improve :)
I'll make a cover for this sometime soon, it was honestly a spur of the moment thing but I think it turned out nicely. Who knows, maybe I'll write a continuation ;)
Update: I did make a cover, clearly. Also thanks to Krickis for proof reading this, this is the updated version with some minor changes.
I am writing a continuation to this, it’s a three chapter short story called Off To The Races, coming soon!
edit 2:
you can read the sequel here actually!
