The Story of the Apple Spectrum

***Chapter 2.6:

Bathing and Competitive Nature***

The chilled morning was what waited for Rainbow upon waking up, regardless of her comforter. She pushed herself up gently, rubbing her drowsy eyes and waited for them to adjust to the darkness. The curtains were pulled, revealing the sky to be a deep blue, not yet sunrise. What gives? I’m getting up earlier than the workhorse? Either I have major anxiety, and I’m totally eager for waking up, or sleep no longer matters to me, she thought. She looked around the slightly dim room and spotted Applejack's bed. Rainbow let her eyes adjust to the darkness as she thought. She didn’t want to disturb Applejack by moving around, so she waited.

However, unknown to Rainbow Dash, Applejack was wide awake in her bed with the same situation. Rainbow shifted her eyes between the window and the other bed before shrugging her shoulders and sitting up, doing a quick stretch. She pushed the covers off of her, finished her stretches, and rolled out of bed.

“G'mornin', sugarcube,” Applejack said quietly.

Rainbow flinched at the sudden noise before looking over to Applejack’s bed to see her pushing herself up.

“Did I wake you?” Rainbow asked as she gave her wings a stretch.

“Not at all, Rainbow. Ah've been awake fer quite some time but ah haven't gotten up since ah didn't want t’ bug ya,” Applejack said, sitting up slowly in her bed.

There was enough light entering the room to make out where she could walk. Looking outside, she noticed the clouds outside, and the view of the acres.

“I just sorta woke up, and I already feel awake,” Rainbow said while she walked over and sat down on the edge of Applejack's bed.

“Same, but ah reckon my body decided it doesn't wanna wake up.” Applejack yawned once more, blinking until her eyes adjusted properly, before looking back at Rainbow. “Never mind me, ah think ya'll should go an take a proper bath.”

Rainbow thought for a second. “Actually, could you try to get up now?” Rainbow asked, getting up and stopping short of the door.

“What for, sugarcube?” she asked, yawning in the process.

“Can you help me scrub my wings? It's always a pain and takes me way too long.” Rainbow took a moment to think before continuing. “That, and if I scrub too hard, I’ll fly wobbly for the day.”

Yawning again, Applejack rolled out of bed, blankets still wrapped around her. “Well okay. Give me a secon'. Could ya go an start runnin' th' bath?”

“Alright then, thanks.” Rainbow said before she opened the door, stepping out into the hallway.

Rainbow closed the door, hearing Applejack say “You're welcome” before she did so and walked down the hall towards the staircase, trying to make as least noise as possible. She approached the staircase and in her sleepy daze, attempted to remember where she had to go after. She looked to her right, spotting Granny Smith's room. To the right of her room was Big Mac, then on the end was Applejack's room. Across from Big Macintosh's room was Apple Bloom and inbetween that room and the staircase was...

“Ah, the bathroom.” Rainbow said.

Rainbow quietly opened the door, unable to prevent the creaking caused by the old door hinge. She turned the hot water tap, letting the hot water pour in first as it quickly dispensed the cold water left in the head of the faucet. After a while, the bathroom steamed up a bit from the hot water. Rainbow took this as her cue to turn on the cold water and proceed to balance it. After a few minutes, it was full There were a few hoofsteps outside and the bathroom door creaked open again.

“Ya should prob'ly get used t' it faster if ya jus' jump in. A lil' chilly out this mornin', a lil' hot water could wake ya right up,” Applejack said, closing the door behind her.

Rainbow shrugged, stepping into the tub. The warmth in contrast to her chilled body sent shivers down her spine, and she quickly submerged her whole body, excluding her head.

“Ah, jeez, I don't usually have water this hot in my cloud home. It usually stays at the perfect temperature. I should get up early just to use your shower,” Rainbow said as she dunked her head in.

“Jus’ hurry up, Rainbow.” Applejack chuckled, splashing water on Rainbow.

[*][*][*]

Scrubbing wings wasn’t an easy thing to do, especially when the Pegasus owning them kept squirming. Applejack frowned while lathering soap onto the feathers.

“‘jack, regarding the whole wing thing, you could always ask Twilight to give you temporary wings so you know what it’s like,” Rainbow said absentmindedly.

“Next wing, sugarcube,” Applejack replied, squeezing some lotion out of it. Rainbow complied, lifting her right wing up. “Anyways, not a chance. Although I want wings, Ah prefer keepin’ m’ hooves on the ground.” Rainbow nodded in response. “So, t'day, Ah was thinkin', we could buck faster an’ get th' job done early.”

Rainbow's ear twitched. Early? That sounded nice but Applejack isn't one for breaking the schedule.

“Why? Got plans or something?” Rainbow asked as she began to adjust to the relaxation, thoughts becoming easier.

“All done, sugarcube,” Applejack said with a proud smile.

Rainbow let her wing drop back into the water, realizing it was cold. “Thanks Apples,” Rainbow said as she moved her hoof through the murky water and unplugged the tub.

“Yer welcome, RD. Anyways, ah've got some plans an I was hopin' ya could join in on,” Applejack replied, drying off her hooves on a towel before handing it to Rainbow.

Rainbow stepped out of the tub, getting a slight chill from the air. She put her towel above her head, and began to vigorously rub her wet mane with the towel.

“Elaborate, Applejack. My schedule is kinda whack,” Rainbow said as she finished reducing her sloppy wet mane to a damp, crazed mess.

“Well, ah was figurin' we could take a break from all this preparation, an work stuff. Play a few games o' horseshoes, race fer a bit, and Ah’d also like t’ see some of yer tricks. Been a while since Ah’ve seen yer skills, Best Young Flier,” Applejack said, standing up and moving towards the door.

Rainbow smirked, pounding her chest while she finished drying her coat off. “Hey yeah, it’s nice to have an audience for a change.”

“Ya gotta earn it first, Rainbow,” Applejack said while opening the door.

“My track record speaks for itself, AJ,” Rainbow said as she tossed the towel into the a bin.

“Well, track record of cheatin' is somethin' t' fear, ah guess,” Applejack said, hiding her smirk from Rainbow.

Rainbow stared, trying to think of a smart comeback before sighing. “Okay, fine. I cheat often, but no more,” said said with a smile. Applejack turned, staring at Rainbow with a flat eyes. Rainbow chuckled, “okay, I'll try not to cheat. It’s just, y’know, natural for me to use my wings. Sometimes, it can't be helped”

Applejack smiled but didn't let out a laugh, wearing a saddened expression. “Ah guess there was a bit of sore loser tension durin' th' first Iron Pony, ah did think that usin' wings was cheatin' but it was natural so ah can't fault you fer that,” she said as she stepped into the hallway.

Rainbow stopped chuckling and had a similar expression to Applejack. “I should have placed myself in your shoes, and Celestia knows I'm certainly trying now. It still wasn't fair, but we were both getting tired, and acting like numbskulls,” Rainbow said, finishing off her drying.

Applejack almost said something, stopping short as Rainbow exited the bathroom, closing the door. She cleared her throat. “So what do ya wanna do first after work?”

“Um, how about-” she started, stopping when finished. “We go for a run first. Just around the acres. Start at your porch, run to the edge of Whitetail Wood, run over to the lake and run back to the barn. No tricks,” she said as they both walked downstairs.

“Sounds perfect. After, we can take a quick break, an’ how 'bout horseshoes?” Applejack asked, arriving at the base of the stairs.

“After horseshoes, there's something I wanna do over at the lake,” Rainbow said, following Applejack into the kitchen.

Applejack pondered, hoof on her chin and brow raised. “Huhn, sounds good but what is it ya wanna do?” she asked, sitting down at the table.

“Um, swim?” she asked, sitting down at the table and slapping her face against the surface.

Applejack thought for a second before nodding her head. “Sounds good. Ah haven't had a proper swim in a while unless you count our splash a few days ago as a swim.”

Leaning against the table, Rainbow slid her face across the wooden surface out of boredom, staring out the window towards the front of the farm.

“Flopping around like a fish out of water isn't swimming,” Rainbow mumbled, exhaling against the surface.

“That sentence doesn't even make any sense. Fish don't flop like fish outta water when in water, Rainbow,” Applejack said while preparing breakfast.

“Whatev's. Let's get the show on the ro~ad,” Rainbow said as she rumbled the table with her forehooves.

“Alright, let me cook breakfast first,” Applejack said while setting out dishes.

The day progressed at the usual AppleDash bucking rate; work, break, work, lunch, more work. It wasn’t long before they found themselves outside the Apple Family house, sitting on the porch while drinking apple juice. They sat in the shade of the porch, drinking the juice in silence. They stared down the path they decided to run, both lost in thought.

It doesn’t matter if I win or lose. I’ll have given my best... but if I do win, in your face Applejack. Rainbow smirked at her thoughts, wiping juice that dribbled off her chin before guzzling the rest of the bottle. She looked to Applejack, the farmer having the same train of thought. It was the knowledge of competition, and they both grinned at each other.

Either way, we’re still friends, Rainbow thought.

“Now, we're runnin'. To th’ edge of Whitetail Wood, th' pond, and back to 'ere,” Applejack said, Rainbow nodding as she finished off her glass of apple juice.

“Yup. We gonna make some bet for old times sake?” Rainbow said with a bit of sarcasm in her voice.

Applejack chuckled, shaking her head. “Ah was thinkin' maybe we could jus' stick with our runnin' plan, Rainbow.”

Applejack looked over to Rainbow while she studied her glass of apple juice, snapped out of her thoughts when Rainbow looked over and met her gaze.

“Rainbow, this time, if ya get tired, y'all can use yer wings until ya can run again,” Applejack offered.

Rainbow looked back towards Applejack, staring daggers at the farmer. Applejack’s expression remained frozen in a smile at Rainbow, and soon, Rainbow’s glare turned into a frown.

“Are you saying I'm not as athletic as you again?” Rainbow asked with a dull tone.

“Well, Ah never said that. Ah was just-” she paused, thinking while Rainbow kept her frown. “Ah was jus' sayin', y'all can use yer wings if ya want but don't rely on 'em. Jus' use 'em t' give yer legs a break. If ah was a Pegasus, Ah'd prob'ly be usin' them a lot more frequently myself.”

Sighing, Rainbow’s frown vanished, replaced with a smile. She shook her head, chuckling. Man, this is sappy, she thought, biting her lip. Applejack is just letting me be a Pegasus, not insisting I’m weak. She nodded her head.

Standing up, Rainbow gave her wings a stretch. “Sorry, I was just being me again, but thanks. I'll try not to use my wings, though,” she said as she leaned onto the table.

Nodding, Applejack replied, “s'all good, sugarcube. Use 'em when ya want.”

Applejack stood up and did a quick stretch while Rainbow stepped onto the ground towards the path, Applejack following shortly after.

“The plan is we’re going down path one towards the Crusader Clubhouse, then taking a left towards the lake, then another left at the lake back to this area, right?” Rainbow asked, trotting towards the start of the course.

Rainbow felt the pre-competition jitters in her chest when she stopped, drawing a line in the dirt as a start. She couldn't help but smile honestly at Applejack as she let her mind loosen up a bit. Like their run after the Running of the Leaves, it was just her and Applejack. Non-competitive. No rewards. No positions. That was the perfect run, the perfect end to a rather aggravating, aggressive weed. In contrast, today was the sheer opposite. Relaxing, character building, and physical training with no loose ends. Her mind was soaring higher than her wings could take her; it felt like eternity.

Both ponies didn't look at each other as they trotted into the orchards. They slowly sped into a canter while the trees began falling into a blur. The wind blew by lightly, the leaves rustling creating a symphony of natural sounds. Their ears picked up every sound of nature along with their gallops. It was something Rainbow loved about her friend.

Nature; Applejack experiences it everyday. She gets out, and gets dirty. The leaves rustling, the birds chirping... it’s like how I love flying. The speed, adrenaline, wind in my mane. Running lets us both experience the others world. Rainbow began smirking at her thoughts, a grin withheld.

The shoes of an Earth Pony. It was nothing but a wonderful experience; Rainbow actually felt like she was envious of Earth Ponies. She never truly knew what it was like to wake up every morning, and not be able to fly, or use magic like her friends. She never actually knew the restrictions of Earth Ponies. She felt sympathy towards her friend for being an Earth Pony, but jealousy all the same. She looked over at Applejack, seeing the pony with a large grin on her face as she trotted throughout the orchards.

Freedom. Applejack has freedom. She can know what it’s like to be free. I know what it’s like to be free, but my view is different. I can fly into the skies and declare myself free. Applejack can watch me fly, and declare she’s free too. But, what is it really? There’s more to it.

Picking up speed, both ponies added to the nature symphony with an echo of hoofsteps. Both ponies were smiling away as the first pang of exhaustion hit. That tingle in your legs when you begin to really start feeling tired. Rainbow felt as her adrenaline kicked in, egging her on to run a little faster. Applejack noticed Rainbow's increase in speed and opted to do the same.

They slowly picked up speed before both were in a furious gallop as they came to the small clearing with the paths leading to the lake or the Crusader’s club-house. Rainbow looked to her left to see Applejack in the same adrenaline-fuelled giddiness Rainbow was in, smiling away as they turned towards the direction of the lake.

The pressure inside Rainbow's chest tightened as she began to exhaust herself fully. Looking to the left, she spotted Applejacks coat with glimmering sweat. Both had broken past the initial pain of running as fast as they could. This was the greatest feeling in the world. She was going fast, she was allowing her body to show it's stuff, she was with her friend. Her best friend.

Rainbow's chest felt more pressure on her mind, but that only served to motivate the Pegasus more. She wanted to gallop not ahead or behind her friend, but next. To be equal.

They cleared a small hill, spotting the lake just ahead. Rainbow and Applejack nodded to nopony in particular, and prepared to make the turn. Rainbow leaned to her left, almost bumping into Applejack's rump. Panting, Applejack made her turn much later, and Rainbow cut the corner, barely avoiding a tree, and pulled ahead while on the left side of the path.

This is the most fun I've had all week, both ponies thought as they struggled to exhaust all energy. They continued at their speedy pace, their legs burning, but neither of them cared.

The pressure was still there, building up in her mind. The doubt plaguing her mind. She looked to her right, and when she turned her head, she noticed that she was practically brushing against Applejack. She was unable to control the smile Applejack fared no better, having felt similar to Rainbow the whole run. Both never looked at the other, and neither would quit. Both ponies felt light headed as they approached the last few trees before the clearing.

Rainbow began to laugh at this moment. It was an uncontrollable laugh that was building up over the past week. She let out a long laugh, unable to stop as her running sporadically jumped between speedy and staggering. Applejack was on the verge of laughing, settling for a grin as she kept hiccoughing. Rainbow was happy.

The treeline stopped when they cleared the orchards, both ponies slowing down to a walk before their legs buckled, sending them collapsing to the ground. Applejack finally started laughing uncontrollably as Rainbow's head lay over her side.

They both continued to laugh through their exhaustion all while trying to catch their breaths. They panted, giggled, panted, and giggled some more. They lay atop each other, feeling the others erratic heartbeat.

After a few minutes, Applejack spoke up. “Sugar-” she paused immediately, catching her breath. “Sugar cube, Ah think ya would be a mighty fine Earth Pony,” she managed to say.

Rainbow smirked, stretching her sore, aching limbs. “Thanks,” was all she managed to get out.

Applejack stared directly up at the sky, the clouds high above floating by without a care in the world. Cloud envy... it was such a tempting thing to be a cloud. She couldn't help but reach her hoof out and begin to rub Rainbow's mane. Rainbow was tempted to shove her off but she didn't wanna ruin the moment. The feeling of Applejack's hoof through her mane was comforting and Applejack just felt like she had to do something rather than lay there like a log.

Several minutes passed before Rainbow and Applejack's panting ceased. They had slow, steady breaths and simply refused to get up. The sun beating down plus the cool breeze made the moment perfect. It was like a Spring Day nearing the end of Summer. Applejack let out a content sigh while Rainbow attempted to push herself up, failing to do so, and instead raised herself slightly above Applejack. She looked down at the mare below her. Directly into those shining emerald eyes which stared back at her.

Rainbow blinked a few times and pushed herself to her hooves, letting her wings stretch out. Applejack pushed herself up shortly after, yawning coarsely.

“So, let's go get the horseshoes, Apples,” Rainbow said as she extended a hoof towards the Earth Pony, a smile still plastered onto her face.

Rainbow looked off towards the direction of the Ponyville, simply wondering what her other friends were doing for the day.

“Alright then, let's grab 'em horseshoes,” Applejack said as she walked over to a shed by the barn.

Rainbow nodded, turning towards Applejack and followed her. Applejack quickly opened it up and stepped in, tossing out a stake, which Rainbow picked up and flew over to a sandbox. She quickly stabbed the stake into the ground, making sure it was level before a box dropped next to the sandbox. She looked up and noticed the box of horseshoes.

“Applejack, before we play, I'm kinda parched from the run,” Rainbow said, looking into the box to spot the coloured horseshoes.

“Ah gotcha,” Applejack said while cantering towards her house.

As she went in, Rainbow noticed another pony walking onto the farm grounds from Ponyville; Apple Bloom returning from school, all done for the week. She trotted on the trail from Ponyville, walking through the white painted wooden arch as she walked into the acres. She saw the orchards empty, and Rainbow Dash standing near the sandbox, horseshoes lay on the ground.

“Hiya Rainbow Dash. What'chu doin'?” Apple Bloom asked as Rainbow turned around.

“Oh, just waiting for Applejack to get back. I was thirsty so she went inside to get a drink. Then I'm going to destroy her at horseshoes,” Rainbow said with a confident grin, doing a squat.

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow, frowning. “'stroy mah sis at horseshoes? Ah doubt it,” she said while nudging the horseshoe box.

“Don't believe me, why don't you stay out here and watch?” Rainbow offered.

Apple Bloom glared at Rainbow, disbelief radiating from steely, filly eyes. Rainbow chuckled as Apple Bloom turned, trotted back to her house. She opened the door and held it as Applejack stepped out with a tray in her mouth. She trotted over to the stake and set the tray down on a park bench, Rainbow turning towards the bench.

“Ah got us some apple juice an two apple cinnamon granola bars fer a quick snack. Figure we'd need somethin' t' stave hunger until supper,” Applejack said as she grabbed a bottle of apple juice, cracking it open, and taking a sip from it.

Rainbow cantered over to the park bench and quickly grabbed the other bottle of juice and took a large guzzle.

“So, who's goin' first?” Applejack asked.

Rainbow pondered the question for a bit before kicking a yellow horseshoe over to Applejack's hooves.

“You can go. The outcome won't be any different based on who goes first,” Rainbow said, setting the drink down.

Applejack raised an eyebrow, smiling over at Rainbow's display of confidence. She shook her head. “Ah know. Ah'm gonna win again,” she said, lowering her head and picking up a horseshoe and gently tossing it in the air, allowing it to land atop her muzzle.

“Whatever. Just hurry up and go,” Rainbow said, kicking the ground.

Looking over at the stake, Applejack positioned her body so she was lined up perfectly with the box. She let out a sigh before dipping her head down, and raising it while leaning forward a bit. The horseshoe flew off her muzzle, doing a small flip in the air before landing right next to the stake by only an inch.

“Woah, close on th' first throw,” Applejack exclaimed as she looked over to see Rainbow with a wide-eyed expression, mouth closed. “Yer turn, RD.” she said, kicking a cyan horseshoe over to Rainbow's hooves.

Rainbow gulped quickly before kneeling down and picking up the horseshoe in between her teeth. She tossed it into the air gently, let it land on her muzzle, and repeated Applejack's motions. The horseshoe flew and, surprisingly, it flew directly towards the stake. Applejack and Rainbow Dash leaned forward, the suspense building over that one second. The horseshoe spun, and from the looks of things, it was going to be a ringer. Rainbow's eyes widened as it fell towards the stake, still slowly spinning. Instead, the caulk of the horseshoes' arch almost hit the stake, the two ends positioned equally apart from the stake. It landed directly behind the stake, clanging as one end clasped against Applejack's horseshoe.

“WHY!?” Rainbow shouted out in disbelief as Applejack laughed. Rainbow shook her head as she attempted to hold back her rainbow-wrath. “No. No. Just no. Of all the possible things, that has to happen?” Rainbow grit her teeth at her luck.

Applejack was rolling on the ground, unable to contain her laughter. Rainbow hung her head in disbelief and attempted to hold back a few laughs of her own. She kicked a horseshoe at Applejack, prompting her to stand.

“Ah, Ah'm mighty sorry. It's jus' that, yer right. Of all the possible things t' happen, that happens,” Applejack said as she bent down and picked up another horseshoe, plopping it onto her muzzle.

Rainbow simply shook her head while Applejack proceeded to toss her next horseshoe. As if to pay her back for her fit of laughter, the caulk of her horseshoe hit the top of the stake, bouncing off and out of the small sandbox. Applejack cocked her head, eye twitching. Rainbow snorted but decided not to laugh, not wanting to indulge in karma. Now it was Applejack's turn to shake her head.

“Heh, well, what goes aroun', comes aroun' as they say,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes as she sat down.

Rainbow pushed herself to her hooves, picking up her second horseshoe along the way. She decided to aim herself, staring directly at the stake. She checked the positioning of the horseshoe on her muzzle. She dipped, raised head, leaned forward, launched horseshoe. It soared to the right, hit the side of the sandbox, slid on the wood, and falling off the back. Rainbow let out another long sigh.

“This is how wars are started,” Rainbow said as she looked back at the sandbox.

Applejack chuckled, having learned the same lesson as Rainbow: karma is watching. “Well, at least that throw is better than my last one.” Applejack said, picking up her last horseshoe as she stood up.

Rainbow snorted but let the smile stay on her face. She shook her head playfully as she anticipated Applejack's next throw. Applejack lined herself up. Dip, raise, lean, launch. The horseshoe flew through the air, landing caulk-first in the sand as the end swung forward, leaning the whole horseshoe against the stake. Applejack pumped a hoof into the air.

“Aha, ah wasn't 'spectin', that but ah ain't complainin',” Applejack said, satisfied with her two successful horseshoe throws.

Rainbow stared at the stake with nervous eyes as she picked up her final horseshoe, balancing it on her nose. She half aimed, half didn't care. She looked towards the stake, feeling pressure. Not like before, this was the bad pressure. Anxiety. Nervousness. This would decide it all. She turned her head, opting to spin and throw rather than dip, raise, lean and launch. She looked at Applejack during her turn who looked back in a puzzled fashion.

Rainbow snorted. “Here goes nothing,” she said.

She snapped her head back not all the way, but just enough so the horseshoe would go sailing through the air. It spun wildly, soaring towards the sandbox. Rainbow stared as her cyan horseshoe edged closer and closer. Applejack and Rainbow both felt a pang of anxiety root itself into their spines.

The horseshoe hit the stake and bounced off to the side, landing outside of the sandbox. Rainbow released her breath, feeling disappointment wash over her mind.

“Well, looks like Ah won,” Applejack said.

Rainbow chuckled, laughing quietly. “Congrats, Applejack. That was close,” she said, patting Applejack's head.

[*][*][*]

The next half hour went on as the clang of metal echoed through the acres; horseshoes hitting horseshoes, horseshoes hitting the stake, horseshoes hitting wood, and so on. The two players continually teased playfully. After a while, the game dulled in interest and they cleaned up; Applejack took the tray carrying two empty bottles and two empty granola bar wrappers inside while Rainbow placed the box of horseshoes away. After, Rainbow closed the shed, Applejack walked out of the house carrying two towels on her back.

“A'ight, we're off to the lake,” Rainbow said as she grabbed one towel.

“Yup. Kind of a long walk, but it's nuthin' much,” Applejack said.

Rubbing her chin, Rainbow grinned. “Race you there?” she asked.

Applejack smiled. “Sure, why not.” She wrapped her towel around her head, Rainbow doing the same.

“Alright. One,” Rainbow said as she shook her hooves.

Applejack prepped herself.

“Twothreego!” Rainbow said, taking off into the air with her wings leaving a surprised Applejack in the dust as she soared towards the lake.

Applejack stared wide-eyed as her Pegasus friend launched off towards the lake in their 'race.' Applejack let out a few chuckles as she started jogging before bursting into a full on gallop towards the lake.