Drinking From the Wrong Barrel
Rainbow Dash’s stomach rumbled, causing the rainbow-maned pegasus to stop in mid-flight. She was thirsty. Constantly flying high up in the clouds and the cold sky has made her mouth dry. It was as dry as Saddle Arabia during the driest dry season. It was dryer than the parched and empty Dragonlands. She needed something to drink. She didn’t want to fly on a dry mouth. She could go without an empty stomach, but a dry mouth was the worse. Of course, there were plenty of cafes and stores to go to, but she didn’t have her bits right now and they would’ve weighed her down by just a bit whilst she was flying. She was sure that her friends would
She mentally made a list of her options. Sugarcube Corner was bound to have something to drink, like something sweet and fizzy. However, there was Pinkie Pie. Pinkie would definitely help a good friend like her. However, Pinkie Pie would no doubt go and give a long list of what the shop or herself had to offer. Even worse, she might go into a song. Rarity and Twilight were also off the list quickly. She didn’t want to be seen sitting in some pretty boutique, sipping tea whilst Rarity goes on and on about her latest fashion line. Twilight would be the same, but about books, books and more books. Rainbow admitted that she liked Daring Do, but that was as far as she would go to admit she liked reading.
That left two ponies, Fluttershy and Applejack. Fluttershy would gladly offer a drink for her friend, she was the Element of Kindness after all, but then she would go into full tea party or picnic mode, as Rainbow nicknamed it. The next thing she would do would invite all her critter friends to join them. She just wanted something nice and simple, that was her style. Then that meant there was only one pony on the list. Applejack would surely be more than welcome to offer her friend something to drink. She might even offer her a mug of warm cider.
Rainbow licked her lips at the thought of the beverage. It was the true definition of liquid gold, both in look and value. What she would do to get her hooves on a mug of Sweet Apple Acres’ most famous drink. With her mind settled and craving for that mug, she flew in the direction of the apple farm. Every flap of her wings drew her closer to what she was wanting. She could just imagine the taste in her mouth and her mind. The fizzy tingle on her tongue, the sweetness of freshly pressed cider satisfying her tastebuds and finally the light burning sensation at the back of her throat once she drained the cider down.
By the time she finished her daydreaming, she had flown past the fence and white painted gate and was in front of the main house. She landed in front of the door and knocked on the door. She waited a while and knocked on the door again. However, there was still no answer. Squinting her eyes and putting her hoof over her eyes, she looked upwards towards the sun. Celestia’s sun was still high up over the sky. That meant it was getting into the afternoon. Knowing the farm pony’s schedule, Applebloom would be at school, Big Mac would be somewhere in the orchard, Granny Smith would be having her deep naptime and Applejack would also be working or training around the farm.
Rainbow mentally berated herself for not thinking about Applejack’s busy schedule. By now, her mouth was getting unbearable. She didn’t want to break into her friend’s house just for a mug of cider without Applejack’s permission. She would simply have to fly around and figure out where Applejack is. Groaning, she took to the air again and began flying around the orchard. She checked inside the barn, but no pony was there. She flew around every corner of the field, from North to South and East to West, but there still wasn’t any sign of the orange earth pony.
Rainbow Dash was about to give up and just go and get her bits back home when she decided to check the training field. Whether it was the next rodeo at Appleloosa, the Iron Pony Competition, or training for something competitive, Sweet Apple Acres had a specially made training area just for her to get some time to practice. It was where Applejack and Rainbow Dash had the first Iron Pony Competition, so Rainbow knew the place like the back of her hoof.
Soon the apple trees and crops parted to give way to the open field and track. Flying around the track, she then saw something she would never think she would see. In a corner of a field, there were barrels in a circle. Barrels that, according to Rainbow, would be filled with delicious amounts of fresh cider. She darted towards one of them and inspected the barrel. It was being held on a strange spring-like stand and wobbled a bit. The tap was still there though and Dash was too thirst by now to even think straight or have any common sense. She didn’t want to come all this way with no cider in her mouth. She wanted her cider and she wanted it now.
She lay on her back, turned on the tap and opened her mouth. Nothing. She waited some more, but not a single drop of cider came out of the tap. She stood up and inspected the tap. However, she should have been paying more attention to the lasso coming from behind her.
She let out a yelp as she felt the rope tighten around her legs, she was pulled back and sailed backwards in the air. She landed on her back and groaned, stars dancing in her eyes. Shaking her head to clear the last stars dancing around she looked up in the direction of the pony who threw the lasso. Applejack was standing in the middle of the circle of barrels, the lasso in her mouth. What was different about her was the blindfold covering her eyes.
At the sound of Rainbow’s yelp and lifted the blindfold with a hoof. Her eyes went wide and she ran over to help her friend.
“Oh Celestia, I’m so sorry, Dash,” Applejack lent her friend a hoof which Rainbow took and helped untie her friend from the rope.
“Eh, no biggie,” Rainbow dusted herself off and flapped her wings to get the feathers straight, “I had worse crashes. You have lassoed me by the tail before. What’s with the blindfold anyway?”
“I was busy practising for the next rodeo at Appleloosa. Braeburn got injured, again, so he has signed me up for the lasso toss,” Applejack explained, “I find it easy to do it blindfold. Helps calm my mind and focus more. I thought I managed to get a barrel but looks like I managed to get something else.”
“Very funny,” Rainbow teased and rubbed her flank.
“And might I ask why you’re in the middle of my training?” Applejack looked around at the empty target barrels and then back at the pegasus. Then she looked back at the barrels and then at her friend again. she put two and two together and it clicked. she raised her signature eyebrow and looked at her friend with a blank look.
“Did you seriously think those barrels contained some cider?” Applejack simply. This caused Rainbow to chuckle sheepishly.
“…Maybe,” Rainbow said slowly.
“And I reckon you were lying down, waiting for the cider to come?” Applejack asked simply.
“I might have done…” Rainbow hesitantly answered.
“And you tried to get to my home, but you realised I was out?” Applejack asked next. Rainbow raised her hooves.
“I didn’t want to break in and steal a mug of cider for myself!” Rainbow lifted her forelegs defensively. Applejack lowered her eyebrows and softened her stern look with a smile. Rainbow was surprised by her friend’s easy-going attitude to her shenanigans.
“Look, Rainbow, I appreciate you for being honest and resisting the urge to nick one of my family's prized apple cider barrels,” Applejack patted her pegasus’ friend’s back.
Rainbow was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but that changed when she noticed an unpleasant scowl on the farm pony’s face.
“Because why were you even thinking about nicking one of my ciders?” Applejack made a lunge at Rainbow, but Rainbow shot upwards into the air.
“I have to go and find a nice cloud to take a nap. Keep practising,” Rainbow Dash quickly flew off.
“Well it’s a good thing the next thing on my training is a good long run, because when I get my hooves on you, I’m going to teach you why you shouldn’t think about stealing from your friend!” Applejack yelled and began to chase after the rainbow trail in the sky.
Rainbow Dash flew as fast as she could. If there was one thing she learnt from her friends, is that to never upset the orange pony and her beloved apples. Rainbow Dash might have speed on her side, but Applejack had earth pony stubbornness, endurance and fire in her eyes. Across the farm, the two ran from apple tree to apple tree. Rainbow didn’t want to be taught a lesson, but Applejack was adamant that she would be taught one. A lesson that Rainbow didn’t want and one where she didn’t want to know what punishment Applejack had in mind. She was unaware that Applejack had her lasso at the ready again.
She gave another yelp as she felt the rope around her neck and was dragged backwards once again. she hit the ground hard and was now being pinned down by the farm pony. This time, she had a triumphant grin on her face. Applejack managed to bound her wings together and her legs were tied up again.
“Now I have to get back to lasso practice, and I was thinking that those barrels ain’t pony shaped to be a good target.”
Rainbow knew where this was going.
“Would you like to be the target practice for me…” Applejack trailed off.
Rainbow Dash would have preferred to sit and nod off to Rarity’s or Twilight’s lengthy lectures on books or fashion or be with Fluttershy for a tea party. She would also be willing to sit through one of random Pinkie’s random songs.
Today, she found herself bound up, being used as a pony dummy for Applejack’s training that day. On the plus side, she did manage to finally get a mug of cider as a reward for helping Applejack.
Hopefully, her friends won’t hear what had happened today on the farm…
“Um, Applejack…”
“Horse apples,” Rainbow muttered from her position on the ground. She looked up to see Fluttershy standing in front of the two of them.
“What is Rainbow Dash doing tied up?” The meek pegasus asked.
“Rainbow here has graciously agreed to help me practice my lasso skills,” Applejack said with a smile on her face, the lasso clenched between her teeth. Rainbow Dash would protest if it weren’t for the handkerchief around her mouth. Applejack saying it was something to do with the fact that ‘dummies aren’t meant to talk’ according to the earth pony.
Even if Applejack wasn’t a good liar and actor, when she wants to lie and act, she can do it well. Fluttershy bought into it.
“Um, okay…” Fluttershy said before walking back to the farm with some apples in her bags.
When she was gone, Applejack turned back towards the pegasus.
“Ready for round three?”
Rainbow realised how Spike must have felt during their first Iron Pony Competition.
This was going to be a long day down at the farm.
