//-------------------------------------------------------// Cider Special -by cherriee- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// And Magical Everday Objects //-------------------------------------------------------// And Magical Everday Objects Wheeewww! A cyan pone whipped through the air, prismatic mane reflecting Celestia's autumn sun into colorful rays. Strong, acrobatic wings performed flips and aerial tricks despite her muscles screaming at the extraneous use. Over yonder, she spotted her hometown. While showing off her stuff with the Wonderbolts was awesome, Rainbow Dash was glad to be free in the open sky of Ponyville. Practice left her wings and limbs worn out, and rubbing fetlocks with the Canterlot elite was more Rarity’s cup of tea. As usual, she did everything with a pegasi-like finesse, even if that finesse involved crashing into the walls of the Academy and having her reputation tarnished in the gossip columns of celebrity magazines. Her wings carried her through the chilly winds, a gray fur jacket keeping her coat warm and goggles pressing her bangs into a flighty mess. Grinning, she glided over the camping tents situated in a winding path towards Sweet Apple Acres–what? The azure blur in the sky came to a–skkrrrt!–halt, squinting at the array of tents, following the trail like breadcrumbs to… a super awesome bread? Except--Rainbow felt her heart racing--the bread was cider. And cider meant… Rainbow’s wings flapped up in excitement and she ricketed a bit before flying, sharp teeth and lips curling into a foalish smile. She passed the angry townsfolk, old and new, faces she’d never seen, and weary travelers alike. Altogether, they created a snake around Ponyville, like the pathways of a maze that took up the entire section of land where the apple-born town resided. Apples. Rainbow sprinted even faster to find the source of her frenzied thoughts, darting around nylon and polyester appearing every way she went. Furious voices shot out and hit Rainbow’s eardrums, ears flicking wildly at the impact. And yet, her hooves led her to what her heart was desiring the most, before her body rammed into a lavender wall with yellow and white quickly invading her vision. “Rainbow! You’re back! I have so much to tell you and the girls about this new spell I've been working on! I've already tested it!” Twilight Sparkle hugged her with only the ferocity an egghead could muster, her friends following suit. Of course, Rainbow had the ferocity of an elite flyer, so with great speed she hugged them back as quickly as she could. Fluttershy and Rarity, the yellow and white blobs, found clarity in Rainbow’s vision, sporting curious nose scrunches and gleeful grins. “Duh! But I gotta go, RIGHT NOW!” Rainbow hopped away from the hug and dashed with a rainbow contrail flanking her flank before Twilight could even blink. “But you must tell us all about your latest Wonderbolts tour!” Rarity moaned. Fluttershy almost toppled over from the sheer speed and mumbled something incoherently in agreement. “Sorry! Catch ya later girls! Mama’s a-coming!” Rainbow yelled back, her backside disappearing over the hilltop as the three mares waddled about in confusion. “Seriously, how isn’t she collapsing from exhaustion? And… what’s with all of Ponyville?” Twilight asked to no-one in particular, her eyes widening at the scathing glances being thrown her way. -*- “Oh don’t you know? This is the last of them!” “You mean I’ve been out here all night with nothing to gain for my efforts!?!??” “Well it doesn’t help that Sweet Apple Acres have profits coming from places like Fillydelphia and Baltimare now!” “Oh gosh, do you see those Vanhoover ponies? This is our town, for Celestia’s sake.” “Celestia can’t help us now, these cider-crazed ponies are just about to rampage on Ponyville before we get some.” Similar conversations sprouted all around the crowd of ponies, with the most enthusiastic currently pushing against the safety fence Big MacIntosh set up a few hours ago. Applejack glanced at her foal sister, stamping her hooves and baring her pony teeth. It was Apple Bloom’s idea, along with the help of Twilight’s new research. Still, she wondered if her townspeers would be able to cease their stomping in time for what she had planned. Ponies from all around Equestria came down on the farm, nearly biting at the fence and licking their muzzles for a drop of goddess-sent ambrosia. “Granny, eewhat?” “Now you hush now Big Mac, all these youngin’s just need to wait another day for more. You sit tight and let your sisters handle the crowd!” “Hey! I can hear cider sloshing around in that barrel! It’s mine!” “There ain’t no cider! Yer just hearing thangs!” “If my youngest say there’s no more cider, there’s no more cider!” “But Granny, eeyup?!!” “My youngest say there’s no more cider, so THERE’S NO MORE CIDER!” -*- Rainbow galloped along the pathway the campouts created, stumbling over tiny foals and old whinnying ponies. The roar of ponies gathered at Sweet Apple Acres’ cider stand almost deter her charge, but once again Rainbow paid no mind to logic and the party pony screaming her name repeatedly. “DASHIE! DASH! RAINBOW DASH! CAN YOU HEAR ME??!! IT’S YOUR FRIEND, PINKIE PIE! WHO YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IN A LONG TIME!” Rainbow Dash didn't know how Pinkie Pie located her from inside the campout, but the smell of cider from the pink pony’s tent turns a lightning-and-cloud cutie mark to face a haggle of middle-aged mares screaming obscenities about Vanhoover. She slows her gallop to a trot and unZIPPED the entrance before coming face-to-face with the cup of cider Pinkie is currently nursing. “RAINBOW DA-” “Hey, Pinkie, sorrycan’ttalkrightnowhowareyouandcanIstill getcider.” Rainbow gets out in one breath, disco ball shining chromatic patterns on her face in the pink pony’s club-like tent. Pinkie doesn’t even take a breath before replying. “HiDashI’mdoinga-okaywellI’malwaysdoinga-okaybecauseI’monmyfifthcupofciderbuttodayyou’rehereandI’msohappyandweshouldtotallythrowapartylikemaybeaDashisherepartyor*HAAAUGH*ayou’rebackfromWonderboltspracticepartyoraciderpartywaitnothat’salreadygoingonanywaystheFillydelphiaponiesarecomplainingaboutonemorecupofcidersoyoushould-” “THANKS PINKIE I PROMISE WE’LL HANG OUT SOON!” Rainbow spun and zooped right out the tent, leaving Pinkie spinning before her eyes rolled back into place. Pinkie continued her drunken dancing with her pet crocodile, as if nothing had ever happened. -*- Rainbow zigged. Rainbow zagged. Rainbow flipped. Rainbow flopped. Rainbow twirled around ponies with parching, parted lips and shot across an array of tents with only 20% more of her usual awesomeness. She slung herself with a tree branch to avoid the gyrating crowd who all begged for the one thing she wanted: cider. It was getting tough, but Rainbow knew she could do it. She jumped across rooftops, navigating the treacherous hay-covered blocks apon houses, avoiding detection from any of her friends. She leaped onto a nearby abandoned cart, the wheels squealing before popping off from her forces. Rainbow darted away from the scene of the crime. She saw a pair of townsponies' shadows and knew she needed to create a diversion. Grabbing a stale apple turnover, she wafted the smell with her wings so the two would be distracted. Bam! Their muzzles clanked together. Rainbow dashed away triumphantly. Eyes on the emerald and bubbly prizes, she told herself. She landed without a rustle of her wings and crept across cobblestone and paved her way on top of pavement pathways. She landed, darting her ruby eyes around for any sign of trouble. She held a saliva-spat hoof up to the heavens, searching for the wind’s intent and destination. She ran her hoof among the Ponyville walls, looking for any disturbances. The stones seemed to spell out a puzzle for Rainbow to solve, and solve it she would! Most stones had normal hoofprints, encased with dirt and grime and sometimes a few stray hay. But, as Rainbow Daring Do moved closer, she found that the stones leading west were apple-scented! She’d solved the mystery! Okay, not really, but it was nice to pretend she was a jungle-braving pony. -*- “AH SAID, GIT! NO MORE CIDER FOR YOU LOT!” The crowd shrinked back, curling and twisting in on itself. Front ponies gagged in fear and scurried backwards, heads down low. Forelegs pushed through frantically, away from Sweet Apple Acres and their Celestia-forsaken cider, until the crowd disperses into a handful, still skeptical of Granny’s claim. After a scorching glare from Granny, unicorns magically packed up their tents and sent them to their owners. A disco ball rolled lazily out of one of them, a bouncy giggle following soon after. Big Mac grumbled at the annoying laughter. “Pinkie! Tis ain’t no time for partying here! I am not fishing your disco ball out o’ here because of your swashbuckling.” Applejack bellowed, translating Big Mac as best she could from the single tired look her brother gave up. “Eeyup.” Big Mac confirmed, disgruntled. Pinkie goes out with a “WHEEE! Sorry about that, Big Mac-Jack! Gummy can be a bit overexcited.” Gummy wasn’t excited. In fact, Gummy didn’t seem like anything at all. Did Pinkie feed him too many apple tarts? The line of townsponies all shuffled, their heads hung low in shame of disgracing the town matriarch's wishes. Granny glared some more just for old mare’s sake, then turned to Applejack. “Ah suppose that there surprise ya planned for yer rainbow friend didn’t turn out the way ya hoped, Ap-plejaack.” Granny slurred, her eyelids fluttering shut from all the excitement. Applejack scoops her grandmare up and sets her in the barrel wagon hitched onto Big Mac. “Mac, get our grandmare back to ta farm, will ya? Course Ah think Ah’ll wait just a might longer.” “Eeyup. Will do, AJ.” 'Course, Big Mac didn't know what in tarnation Applejack was waiting for, unlike his sister. Apple Bloom’s eyes shimmered. “Aww, and the cute barista dress Pinkie lent ya looks so… cute!” she cooed at Applejack’s outfit. Applejack rolled her eyes, both in exasperation at her Dash’s tardiness and the fact that Pinkie Pie demanded five bottles of cider before crashing out in her fields. Crashing out while the rest of Ponyville waited for a single drop! “Ah dunno how crazy RD would get for this ‘cute’” Applejack draws out the word the way foals do, “lil’ getup here, but she’s usually crazy for cider 'n we all saw 'er! She don’t see the long line of ponies all wantin' a taste?” FWOOSH! The azure blur that stopped short at the long line of ponies now threw herself with the great ferocity of an elite flyer and the sneakiness of an adventure pony all at once, leaving ponies waddling about in confusion. Rainbow Dash ruffled her Wonderbolts jacket, and her eyes dart around frantically looking for Sweet Apple Acres cider. The ponies who remained waited for Rainbow to be disappointed, but the prismatic pony’s eyes landed on Applejack. In that moment, emeralds and rubies sparkle–Rarity would have a kick out how the sun hits them just right–and Rainbow gazed in awe at Applejack. Her tangerine coat is brighter and cleaner than Rainbow had ever seen it, the golden mane shining like a fresh apple pie, the licorice-like rubber bands tying up her hair in an elaborately messy, filly-next-door manedo. Her best friend’s Stetson had a matching red candy bow that was strangely feminine and yet becoming of the mare in front of her. Rainbow’s eyes travel down to her muscular hind legs and cutie mark, which are shown off by a tight apron tied with the same red bow and adorned with Sweet Apple Acres apple treats that made Rainbow’s mouth water. A white tiny blouse adds to the shape of her biceps but accentuates the dip in her chest, while three red apples peek out of her denim skirt. Boots tied high up to Applejack's thighs tightly squeeze her legs, and the decorations on her thick hay-tail did little to hide how scrumptious her flank was. Rainbow’s eyelids blinked rapidly in surprise, trying to shoo away her thoughts as a purplish tinge blossomed in her fuzzy, frosty cheeks. She snapped her scan back up to Applejack’s face, freckles splattered cream flicks in an ocean of fuzzy orange fur complimented by a small amount of makeup and a bandanna tied alluringly around her neck. Rainbow couldn't tell if she wanted more than just cider or was just having a really good dream. She almost considered casting her eyes to the moon before they darted fervently back to... “A-applejack” she stammered, drool threateningly building up. “Thought I might give you a fine welcome, Dash!” Applejack beamed, looking as though she was this gorgeous everyday. “With a nice lil’ thang right here at our stand!” Rainbow was still staring. “Y-you look really…” “Awesome? Figured ya might say that, sugarcube.” Applejack purred, tracing a hoof subtly on the space between Rainbow’s neck and chest. Rainbow didn’t know what she was doing, but subconsciously her own hoof rose to meet it. Applejack smirked. “You-you mean cider, right?" Rainbow cleared her mind, subject at the front. "Colt, would I love some right about …now?” Rainbow’s coat bristles shivered at the contact Applejack made as the Stetson-wearing pony brought Rainbow Dash under her forelimb. The apron's straps nearly slipped off before Rainbow caught it and hastily slung it up, cradling Applejack underneath her limbs as well. Applejack's eyes twinkled knowingly at the gesture. “Ah suppose we can whip up some cider for ya. 'Course, if you'd rather wait...” “Hey!” Rainbow swatted her, momentarily breaking her trance. When did Applejack put her into a trance? Rainbow couldn’t remember. “Ah, just messing with ya, sugar.” Sugar? No cube? “Right, yeah, so, where’s the cider?” She craned her neck excitedly. Applejack tutted, clicking her tongue and snapping cadet Rainbow back to attention. Applejack brought her to the very front of the stand. Rainbow fished for some bits while Applejack placed a new mug the counter, her tail flicking Rainbow’s flank as she swayed. “No need, this one here’s on the house!” Applejack bit into the gold and placed it back into Rainbow’s chest pocket, feeling the erratic heartbeat as Rainbow thought of anything but a certain farm mare sucking and licking… Faraway, ponies booed and hollered at the orange farm mare poured the very last mug of cider for her Dash. The townspeoples’ hooves thunder yet again before they pitter-patter as Granny popped up with a glare. Big Mac, struggling to keep Granny sat, squinted dumbly at the scene. Applejack opened a hatch and beckoned Rainbow next to her. “See, Twilight and I have been working on a little something to make our lives a lil’ easier.” she said, eyes half-lidded, her tail brushing Rainbow’s primaries. In response, the spectral pony sported an involuntary blush and matching FOOSH! of her wings. Rainbow blinked. This is not how she imagined her meeting with Applejack. “Come again?” What was all the touchy-feely stuff for? “And we’ve figured out a way to magic some everyday objects to do a certain task. Well it was all Twilight, but I did give her the idea.” “Buhh?” “And lookie here, This mug o’ cider was made 'specially for you, Rainbow!” The bubbling ambrosia-filled mug is topped with foam in the shape of a heart inscribed with Applejack’s and Rainbow Dash’s cutie marks inside, and a message underneath: “Come home with me tonight?”. As Rainbow read the message out loud, Applejack’s tail lightly played with Rainbow’s wings, her body, her flank, hooves massaging the knots in her shoulders. Golden flecks are swimming in Rainbow’s vision when she finishes reading the text. Pause. Eyes widen. “OMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOSH YES!!” Rainbow Dash squealed and drank the cider in one fell gulp, repeating those words over and over. But, as the harmonic ambrosia goodness runs down her throat, Rainbow suddenly felt the exhaustion of the day wash over her. She’s swimming in a cider barrel full of hunger, soreness, arousal, and delight, and verdant light accompanies her to darkness. Silence. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were alone together for one single, amorous moment. Then: “Oh lawd! Applejack killed her! Our hero, Rainbow Dash, died of cider!!!” “We never should’ve drank this! Who knows which one of us will drop dead next!” “You take that back! Y’all have been giving up yer baby foals for our cider!” “And yer too young to understand giving up a baby foal!” “Eenope.” Applejack chuckled in agreement. She slung Rainbow Dash onto her back, relishing in her new lover’s soft breaths as she brought her home. Author's Note Please be nice! This is my first story, non-beta read, and I don't see myself posting other ones. Constructive criticisms are welcome!