Wet. Everything was wet.
That’s the first thing that Applejack had initially noticed, but it was no surprise to her. How could it be? The storm had thundered on for almost three days straight, which, normally to her, wasn't really a long time. Three days was nothing when you were waiting for crops to grow, but when a stray herd of angry clouds wandered over Ponyville from the Everfree forest, three days was a lifetime.
“Well, shoot.” Applejack frowned as she really took hold of the destruction that the storm had laid out on the farm. The barn had some massive damage to it, but that was the least of her worries. That could be fixed easily with some help. What really worried her was the state of everything else. There were uprooted plants, felled trees, and destroyed crops.
How could Sweet Apple Acres get out of this one?
It seemed that Big Mac had a similar idea as he walked over to her. His mane was still plastered against his dripping body. The storm had only just stopped not even twenty minutes ago, but they had wasted no time in finding a way out of the cellar’s obstructed door. Applejack looked at her older brother. He didn’t even have to speak, his eyes did all the talking as his eyelids shifted minutely and softened into worry.
“This ain’t like anything I’ve ever seen before,” Applejack muttered, looking at the carnage. “And winter’s comin’ soon; how are we gon’ keep the farm afloat without our usual harvest fer the cider?” Sure, there were still trees that held apples, but it was a laughable amount compared to what they were able to get for years and years before.
“Why don’t ya go find somepony to help us?” Big Mac spoke calmly, his voice not threatening to waver. He waited for a moment as Applejack scrunched her nose and blinked drops of water out of her eyes. “I know that the pegasi are supposed to help in situations like this.”
That was true. Cloudsdale was far out of the way, and they were usually safe from wild storms, even the extremely rare ones the size of the one that decimated Ponyville and the surrounding area.
“I guess you’re right. Heck, if it weren’t for them pegasus ponies, the storm would probably still be ragin’ on right now,” Applejack reflected. “Alright, I’ll go try and find somepony to help. Try to keep things together here while I’m gone, alright?”
Big Mac nodded and turned back toward the open cellar doors where Apple Bloom and Granny Smith were peeking out. At his signal, they both crept out, jaws dropped at the sight. Applejack cringed and turned away. The sooner she could find help, the better.
Stepping over the scattered planks of wood and whatever other rubble found itself in her way, Applejack took the familiar path to Ponyville. The trodden dirt trail was muddy, and she found herself sinking into the ground with every step. It made for a slow, painful walk as she had to unstick her hooves following every forward motion. Even after the excessively long walk to the town, Applejack wasn’t prepared for what she saw.
All of Ponyville looked like there was another parasprite infestation happening at that exact moment, except it was not at all comedic. There were no cute fuzzy creatures with insatiable hunger running around, there were only downcast ponies looking at the rubble. Those lucky enough to still even have a home stood next to their neighbours who weren’t as fortunate. Pegasi flew around above the disaster, dirty and wet from battling the storm.
Applejack almost wanted to turn back around. It seemed like Ponyville needed help more than they did. Before she could even entertain that thought though, she noticed the pony she had been longing to see the most since the everlasting three days started—her marefriend.
The beautiful cyan coat she always sported was dimmed down by layers of dirt but also shiny from the water that implanted itself into her fur. Her prismatic mane flattened into her head, and the pony had slicked it back so she could see properly. Rainbow Dash had not seen Applejack yet. She hadn’t noticed the earth pony staring at her.
The pegasus flew up a bit, overlooking Ponyville with a frown. Her eyes scanned the town, watching for anypony who wasn’t already being assisted. For a moment, her eyes skipped over Applejack—the orange pony seemed to almost blend in with the ground thanks to the lighting and the dirt in her coat—but upon taking a double-take, Rainbow’s heart skipped.
“Applejack!”
The pegasus flew down, completely abandoning her previous mission to make sure everypony was okay. She touched down in front of the farmer, who didn’t miss a beat in closing the distance and nuzzled the smaller mare. “I’m so glad ta see ya, sugar cube.” Applejack didn’t move as she rested her head on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder, nuzzling further into her neck. “I know some of y’all got hurt tryin’ ta keep us safe…”
“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Rainbow Dash whispered as she wrapped a hoof around Applejack. Reluctantly, they separated a bit, just enough to be able to talk face to face. “We haven’t been able to get down to Sweet Apple Acres yet. There was a lot more damage here than we thought,” she explained.
Applejack looked away for a moment. “I hate to say it, but we need yer help, Dash.” She wiped her mane away from her face. “To be honest, I ain’t sure how we’re gonna make it out of this one, if we even manage.”
Rainbow Dash frowned for a split second. She must have noticed the emotion on Applejack’s face, even though the hat-wearing mare tried to mask it - the way her lower eyelids were slightly raised and the slight upward slope of her eyebrows. The pegasus reached out a hoof and brought it to her marefriend’s cheek. “We’ll do everything we can. You will make it out of this, I swear on Celestia’s name.” She broke out into a tiny smile. “Hay, I’ll even Pinkie promise on it,” she added, doing the motion of the aforementioned swear.
Applejack couldn’t help but smile back. Rainbow’s smile was contagious like that. “Rainbow Dash, I love ya so much. I don’t know what I did to deserve someone like you.”
Rainbow Dash leaned forward and planted a kiss on the tip of Applejack’s muzzle. “Normally, I’d agree with you. But I know exactly what you did.” She looked right into her green eyes and everything around them faded. “You exist.”
Applejack snorted. “Alright, alright, Dash. Come on, we’ve got some work to do.” She turned her back on the mare and used her tail to whiff her snout, a smirk creeping on her face.
The pegasus shook her head in amusement and followed Applejack down the wet, muddy trail. Applejack noticed the still fresh hoofprints she made on her way there and followed them back. Rainbow Dash opted to walk alongside her instead of flying, although of course, her wings were probably tired. “So, how bad is it, AJ?”
Applejack looked to Rainbow Dash as they neared the farm. The closer they got, the more common the debris became. “Well, I’m gon’ be honest with ya. It’s pretty bad. Barn hasn’t needed this much repairs since I completely knocked it down at that family reunion.”
“Well, why don’t you see if any of your family can come help,” Rainbow Dash suggested as they reached the white picket fence surrounding the beginning of the Apple property. Her face scrunched as she looked at the sight. “Oh, yeesh.”
“I know.” Applejack frowned as she set her eyes on the farm. She hadn’t been gone for too long, but it was still a shock. “And I guess that’s a good idea. I could probably get Braeburn to come. Maybe Appleby, too.”
Rainbow Dash snorted. “Come on, I’m sure you can get more than that. I mean, isn’t your guys’ whole thing family? I bet they’d be more than happy to come help,” she pointed out.
They walked into the property, stepping over the strewn about pieces of infrastructure, assorted crops, and branches. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try,” Applejack mumbled. “I just don’t wanna be a bother, ya know?”
Rainbow Dash paused, causing Applejack to bump into her. “Don’t be silly, AJ. They’re your family, they’ll help.” She gave Applejack a warm smile and nuzzled her. She knew that was a surefire way to get Applejack to feel better. “I mean, I would definitely come help if I was one of your cousins.”
That got Applejack to chuckle a bit. “Dash, if you were my cousin, there’d be a lotta things wrong with that,” she joked. “But either way, of course ya would, you’re the element of loyalty. That’s kinda your whole thing.”
“Okay, you’re right. But still, I’m sure there’s a lot of them who wouldn’t say no.”
Applejack nodded, although she was still unsure. I don’t want to ask my family to travel all the way to Ponyville over this but… Applejack looked around at the mess. She absentmindedly flicked watery mud off of her fetlocks. But we need help. “For now, we can help Big Mac clear the ground. Don’t wanna risk anypony trippin’ or gettin’ hurt.”
Rainbow Dash made a noise of approval and then shot into the air. Her takeoff was strained, Applejack could tell by the way her features hardened with the effort. She watched Rainbow Dash scan the main clearing around the farmhouse itself, presumably looking for larger pieces she could fly off with. Applejack grimaced a bit. She didn’t want Rainbow to over-exert herself, but she also appreciated her help.
“What’s wrong, Applejack?”
For being such a muscular stallion, Big Mac sure had a way of sneaking up on ponies. Applejack turned to face her brother, who walked up next to her. “Apart from the obvious?” At Big Mac’s insistent glare, Applejack sighed. “How do ya always know when I’m feelin’ stuff, Mac?”
Big Mac blinked.
“Well, look at her,” Applejack said in response. She motioned to Rainbow Dash, who was collecting the larger branches and hauling them to a pile in one corner. “She’s doing so much! I just don’t want her to get hurt because of me. She suggested we should ask our family outside Ponyville for help.” Applejack huffed in frustration. “And I know that’s a great idea ‘n all, but I just hate askin’ for help and she knows it.”
“I think yer gettin’ too worked up over nothin’,” Big Mac suggested. “She’s your marefriend, she’s just tryin’ to help, just like I’d try to help Sugar Belle.”
“Hmmph. I know that.” Applejack looked at her hooves. “Come on, we should pick up the branches and stuff. I’d hate for Apple Bloom ta get hurt on one of ‘em.”
They both nodded at each other and went separate in opposite directions. Applejack made her way to the area bordering the west apple orchard. She took another glance at where Rainbow Dash was piling up the larger rubble and chewed on her lip. “Well, I guess that’s smart of her,” she muttered to herself.
Following the pegasus’ lead, Applejack began to gather as much as she could into two piles. What could be reused, refurbished or sold went in one pile, while everything else went in another.
It took less time than she was expecting, or maybe it was the fact that Applejack was so hyper-focused on her task, but her portion of the property was nearly completely clear. It almost looked strange, seeing the ground be rid of most of the debris. Between her, Rainbow Dash, and Big Mac, they got almost all of the property surrounding the barn cleared. Big Mac was starting to collect the rubble from each pile into a cart that was miraculously not destroyed.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash reconvened in the centre of the property, near the barn—or at least, what was left of it—and looked at the result of their hard work. “Well, at least now Apple Bloom and Granny won’t trip or anything like that,” Applejack decided.
“True, and you can use some of the wood planks that weren’t damaged to rebuild. But everything else, I think you’ll have to throw it away.” Rainbow Dash grimaced as she spoke.
“What a waste of bits.” Applejack kicked at the damp ground underneath her hooves.
Rainbow Dash frowned. “I don’t mean to pry, but you guys need bits right? You said so yourself.”
Applejack mumbled a response.
“Well, I know you don’t like doing this but…” Rainbow Dash gave Applejack a weak, almost apologetic smile. “What if we set up some kind of fundraiser? I’m sure everypony would love to be able to help.”
A fundraiser? To get bits from the ponies who were also struggling? Applejack grunted in response. “No way, Dash. I don’t wanna ask for bits from ponies who are dealin’ with just as much as we are.”
Rainbow Dash’s eyebrows furrowed and she cocked her head. “But you need the bits. If they don’t want to give any, then they don’t have to, but I think it’s a good idea. How else are you going to get the bits to fix all this?”
“Are ya sayin’ we don’t have any money?”
Rainbow Dash blinked once, then threw a hoof in the air. “Yes!”
Well, she did say that. Applejack bit the inside of her cheek and scowled. “I ain’t gonna ask for charity from anypony who needs it more than I do. In fact, I ain’t gonna ask for help at all. Only reason I agreed to the whole askin’ my family thing is ‘cause at least they’re my family.”
Why didn’t Rainbow Dash understand? “You’re being so stubborn, AJ! If you don’t ask for help, you’re just going to end up making it worse.”
“Stubborn?” Applejack took a step back. “I ain’t being stubborn. And I am not makin’ it worse, I just prefer this sort of thing to stay in the family! I don’t wanna cause trouble for anypony else.”
Rainbow Dash flinched at Applejack’s rough tone. The earth pony hadn’t meant to, but she started yelling at some point. Applejack clamped her jaw shut and looked away as Rainbow Dash’s frown deepened. “I should go,” the pegasus muttered.
“What?”
“I should go,” she repeated. “You’re being unreasonable, and I don’t want to get into an argument with you right now.”
Applejack scoffed. “Unreasonable? How am I being unreasonable?”
“Because if you were being reasonable, you’d realize that you need help.” Rainbow Dash’s voice was stern, and she stared directly into Applejack. “When you realize that, let me know, okay?”
Before Applejack could even respond, Rainbow Dash struggled into the sky and flew away. With a frustrated huff, Applejack turned away and trudged back toward where the barn was. Unreasonable? She wasn’t being unreasonable. If anything, Rainbow Dash was the one being unreasonable.
Applejack shook her head and opened the door to the cellar where they had been taking refuge from the storm and stepped down the stairs. What did Rainbow Dash know anyway? Her home was completely fine, and so was Cloudsdale. It was easy for her to give Applejack advice - she didn’t understand.
Applejack lit a candle in the corner of the cellar and sat down at the old writing desk. Despite herself, she could at least admit she should ask her family for help. Wasn’t that more than enough for Rainbow Dash? Why bring the rest of Ponyville into it? Quill in mouth, Applejack dipped the tip into ink and began to write her first letter to her extended family. The scratching of quill on paper was the only sound in the little cellar room.
Rainbow Dash still hadn’t returned in the week following her silly suggestion. Maybe it was better that way; if she wasn’t at the barn, she couldn’t give Applejack more ideas that suggested that the Apple family needed help. For generations, the Apples had been doing just fine on their own! And they would sure as sugar do it again. At least the pegasus had sent Fluttershy to tell her that she had gotten caught up with something, and would come back in a few days.
Of course, Applejack missed her marefriend, but she didn’t want to be the one to go to her. And it’s not like they never fought; in fact, they argued quite frequently. They always made it out the other side stronger, and this was just one of those disagreements. Rainbow Dash wasn’t seeing Applejack’s side of things, and that was okay. She’d come around soon.
But in the meantime, there was work to be done. The Apples that had agreed to come help were supposed to be arriving soon, and there was no time to waste waiting. Applejack was already hard at work preparing the soil to bear crops again. The storm had made the land uneven and flooded the field, and since selling crops was their biggest export, Applejack split the work between herself and her siblings. She was to fix the land as best as she could on her own in the fields, while Big Mac and Apple Bloom were off inspecting the damage in the orchard and salvaging as much as possible.
The soil had never been this watery before, though. Applejack spent most of the time trudging through the muddy land before deciding to focus on making it as even as possible so it would dry properly. There were certain parts that weren’t as ruined, so she left those alone. It should dry up within a few days, and in those few days, they were going to fix the barn anyway. It would all work out in the end, and once again the Apples were going to be fine without any extra help.
There was one minor problem, though. Applejack wasn’t sure where they were going to get all of the wood on such short notice. Usually, they were able to even sell wood since there were so many trees in the orchard that were in the way or hardly ever able to be harvested. But there was no time to turn the trees that were tipped into planks, and even if there was, a lot of them were too damaged.
Hoof in runny soil, Applejack grimaced. Maybe Filthy Rich could give her family another loan. That was a possibility, albeit not a preferable one. She’d have to find out the logistics of that. Granny and Big Mac would want to know about it, and they could help.
While Applejack was trudging back to the barn, trying to keep from ruining the soil more, a voice cut into her thoughts. “Hey.”
Applejack stopped in her tracks at the sound of the greeting behind her, though she didn’t turn back. She already knew who it was. “Howdy, Rainbow Dash. What can I do ya for?”
Perhaps she had come back to apologize or to talk things out. That would have been better, although Applejack knew Rainbow Dash was almost just as stubborn as she was. Since Applejack didn’t turn to face Rainbow, the pegasus flew around in front of Applejack. There was a pair of saddlebags at her side, bulging with its contents. “Uh, nothing. I just wanted to talk, I kinda have a surprise for you.”
A surprise? What could that even mean? Applejack wasn’t going to refuse, so she shrugged. “Sure, let me just get outta here and we can go talk by the barn.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t reply as she waited for Applejack to slowly finish creeping her way out of the area once used for planting carrots. Once back on mostly solid, but still damp, earth, Applejack flicked the loose mud off of her hooves. Rainbow Dash dropped to the floor and sat down. “Alright, so, before I tell you the surprise, I need you to promise you won’t be mad at me.”
Nothing good ever came from that. Applejack narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Now, I can’t promise that, but I can try.” As she spoke, a realization came over the earth pony, and she hoped it wasn’t true. “What did ya do, Dash?”
With a hard thud, Rainbow Dash unbuckled her saddlebags and let them fall on the floor. She smiled meekly at Applejack. “Okay, so you know how you told me not to take donations?”
“You didn’t.”
The only response Rainbow Dash gave at first was some kind of squeak. She pushed the saddlebags forward with a tentative hoof. They dragged along the mud, pushing through it and leaving a streak behind as they got closer to Applejack. “I did.”
It was easy to feel upset. Enraged, even. To her surprise, Applejack went beyond that in a completely different direction; she should have felt angry that Rainbow went behind her back, or maybe she should have been disappointed. But she wasn’t. She was… Thankful? No, that wasn’t the right word. She was pleasantly surprised, maybe even a little glad. But then, how different was that from thankful? “Rainbow, I told ya I didn’t wanna take charity.”
Rainbow Dash prodded at the ground with alternating hooves. “Well, I didn’t! You said you didn’t want to just take ponies’ bits, but I figured if I raised the money, it’d be no different than Pinkie selling cupcakes.”
Raised the money? “How did ya raise the money?” Applejack’s tone was careful. Curious.
“Well, I got some of the Wonderbolts to put on an aerial show for Ponyville, you know to cheer them up and stuff, and we mentioned we were also raising money for Sweet Apple Acres,” she explained. “We didn’t force them to give anything, it was all their own decision.”
Oh, great. So she not only got her neighbours to give her family money, but she got the Wonderbolts in on it? But she wasn’t going to get mad at Dash, that would just make it worse. She didn’t want Rainbow Dash to do it, but now that she already did…. “Well, thanks,” Applejack mumbled. “Ya didn’t have to do that, in fact, I didn’t want you to. But ya did, so thanks.”
Rainbow seemed to relax a little at Applejack’s words. Her spine slouched and she let out a deep breath. “Oh, yeah, no problem, AJ. I know you didn’t want me to, but I also know you’re too stubborn to let anypony help you.”
Applejack snorted. “I’m not too stubborn, I just don’t wanna cause problems for other ponies.”
“Stubborn,” Rainbow Dash repeated with a sing-songy tone to her voice. “Anyway, so you’re not mad at me?”
Angry? Applejack wasn’t angry. She wanted to be at first, but she quickly realized she’d much rather not be angry at her marefriend. She wasn’t entirely pleased, but she was able to understand why Rainbow Dash disobeyed her. “Naw, I ain’t mad. I wish ya woulda talked it out with me, but I appreciate what you did.”
“Hey, well, if I had tried to talk it out with you, I don’t think you would have let me,” Rainbow Dash pointed out with a smirk.
Applejack rubbed the back of her neck with a muddy hoof. Not that it was much of a big deal; she was already dirty. “I guess you’re right,” she admitted sheepishly. They stayed in silence for a few moments before Applejack was reminded of something important. “Some of my cousins are supposed to get here soon, I don’t think you’ve met all of ‘em before.”
“Ooh, are you introducing me to your family?” Rainbow reached a hoof across and nudged Applejack on the shoulder. “Didn’t realize we were already at that stage. I should get you to have dinner with my parents.”
“I’ve already had dinner with your parents,” Applejack reminded her while she rolled her eyes at Rainbow’s antics. “Stop goofin’ around, Dash, they all know about ya, just haven’t met ya is all.”
“Well I can’t wait to meet them. Show them how awesome their cousin’s marefriend is.” She extended her wings proudly at her side and struck a pose.
Applejack shook her head slightly with a grin. “You can show ‘em how awesome ya are by helpin’ us rebuild the barn. Braeburn and some of the folks from Appleoosa are bringing some wood, but now with these bits, we can go get some more so we don’t hafta do it in stages.”
“See? What would you do without me?”
Applejack smiled and picked up the saddlebags full of bits and laid them over her back. She walked across over to Rainbow Dash and gave her a quick nuzzle, then kept walking toward the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres. “Not sure, maybe relax a bit?”
Rainbow Dash scoffed in fake offence and scrambled to her hooves to shoot back a remark at Applejack. They walked (and flew) side by side to wait for the rest of the Apples to arrive.
It had been a month since the storm. Applejack still felt like she could stand to never get wet again. The barn was back up, and the mess was cleared. What crops were left were given extra attention to, and what had to be removed had been replanted. Thanks to earth pony magic and help from the extended Apple family that could make it, Sweet Apple Acres was recovering. Although, it was mostly thanks to one pony in particular.
“We couldn’t have done any o’ this without ya,” Applejack spoke, breaking the comfortable silence between her and Rainbow Dash. She looked up at the night sky, at the many stars and constellations she couldn’t name. It was stunning, but she didn’t feel hesitant to turn away from the shimmering view above to look at the even better view on her left; Rainbow Dash sprawled on her back in the grass, gazing at the stars.
“Hey, I don’t deserve all the credit here.”
Applejack snorted and inched closer to Rainbow Dash. “That ain’t true. It was yer idea to call in my family, and it was you who organized that fundraiser.”
“Well, in that case, it’s everyone in Ponyville who deserves credit. They all value you so much they were willing to help in any way they could.” She paused for a moment. The lighting from the stars made Rainbow’s fur look even brighter than usual. “You know, you and your family mean so much to everyone in Ponyville.”
Applejack chuckled and scratched the top of her mane, causing her hat to fall back into the grass. “I guess. We do sell a lotta the food round here, that’s probably why.”
Rainbow Dash flipped onto her side to look at Applejack. Her eyes traced over the white freckles on Applejack’s cheeks. “No, it’s not just that, AJ. You’re all such amazing ponies who never hesitate to give back to the community,” she started. “That’s why everypony appreciates you so much. That’s why they didn’t hesitate to help. Their houses? Sure, it sucks that a lot of them will have to rebuild, but they can rebuild. Just like you rebuilt the farm.” She rolled a hoof in front of her, trying to find the right words. “But they know you can’t just rebuild the food you grow, and they know that selling your produce is how you make money. It isn’t just because you give them food, AJ. They can get food from other places, but they get your food because they value you and want to support you.”
Applejack looked deeply into Rainbow’s eyes. What was she supposed to say to that? She was more than grateful, but she wanted Rainbow to know how much she had helped. “I know that, sugar, but I wanted to make sure you knew how much you helped. It really means a lot to me that you were so eager to help. Hay, it might sound a bit selfish, but I wanted to find you that day. I know I say it a lot, Dash, but this time I really mean it more than ever. I love you so much. And I’m beyond lucky to have somepony like ya to be mine.”
Rainbow Dash smiled warmly at Applejack. “I love you too, AJ. And you already know I’d do anything to help around here. Maybe someday I’ll even move in.” She laughed a little at the second half of her statement.
“Heck, ya already basically live here seein’ as how ya spend so much time here,'' Applejack teased. “And ‘sides, it’s Apple family tradition to have family live here. If you move in, and it’s only if ya want to, then we’ll make plenty of room for ya. Granny loves ya, and what with Big Mac and Sugar Belle’s new foal comin’ in soon, I reckon we’ll be needin’ somepony else to help around.”
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “So is this a formal invitation for me to move in?”
Applejack snorted and closed the slowly diminishing gap between them with a long kiss. “Dash, we’ve been together for years, I’m surprised ya think ya need an invitation.”
Rainbow Dash winked with a cheeky smile. “I’ll have to take you up on that sometime soon. It gets pretty lonely at home, especially since you can’t really come up there to keep me warm at night.”
Applejack wrapped a hoof around Rainbow’s neck and brought them back down to the grassy floor. She snuggled in closer to the smaller mare and breathed in happily, letting her body heat cover her. “Well, I can keep ya warm startin’ from now.”
The pegasus hummed happily in response. Applejack knew that Rainbow liked to be cuddled, even if she’d never admit it. If she really did decide to move in, Applejack would make sure to take advantage of that every night. The thought of living with her marefriend, her best friend, excited her. She let her mind focus on the steady breathing coming from Rainbow Dash. It became the metronome in her brain and the rhythm of her sleep. The stars continued to shine over the couple, who slept peacefully wrapped in each other’s hooves.
Above them, a pair of shooting stars danced across the sky.
Author's Note
Well, after some editing I feel like this is a lot better than the original version. I feel like there’s still a little more I could have done with this one, but I wanted to keep it short (if 5k words counts as short). Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this! Go check out Quills and Sofas if you want in on the speedwriting fun!
