The Story of the Apple Spectrum

***Chapter 2:3:

Golden Pie and Spectral Trust***

“By kick his ‘biggoty bit horse,’ you mean beat ‘em up? Because he's only about 100 yards away, and I can fly faster than, well, everypony.” Rainbow said as she and Applejack trotted away from ground zero.

“Wha? No, I mean in th’ competition, 'n stuff.” Applejack said, holding her smirk.

“Aww.” Rainbow sighed, feigning  disappointment. “I was looking forward to whipping his tail,” Rainbow said as she kept looking over her shoulder towards the cafe.

“Well, he jus' seems extra snooty this year as if he already has th' prize. It’ll make trouncin’ him this year all th’ more satisfyin’,” Applejack said.

They  walked through the crowds around the various ponies and non-ponies in silence. After a few minutes of walking, they came to a large, fenced off clearing with a building on one side The fence was high enough to stop most pets from entering the grounds and if they got by, a visible security guard would shoo them off. Upon approaching the doors, Rainbow noticed the building had a sign saying ‘Market Harvest’ above the doors.

Rainbow smirked. I like how the Market Harvest building is modeled after a breadbasket. Before they could walk in the doors, Applejack stopped her with a hoof, adjusted her hat, did a quick stretch, let out a long sigh, and then put on a smile. Rainbow gently pushed Applejack’s hoof down, and then opened the door.

Not even in the building and Rainbow's nose was attacked by the scent of freshly baked bread. Her stomach rumbled as the scent registered in her brain; everything here was fresh.

“Th’ place has a kitchen fer bakin’, since most of th’ teams wind up bakin’ in the contest grounds. Y’all are allowed t’ experiment here as well, and get some opinions from others,” Applejack said as she took a big whiff of the area, smiling as she exhaled. “Gets ya hungry, doesn't it?” Applejack said, looking to Rainbow.

It was then when Rainbow realized how many other ponies were in the lobby. Rainbow observed the many others there as they talked, conversed and laughed. Competitors joking with each other instead of butting heads over who’s better. Rainbow frowned, feeling a nagging feeling in her mind.

“Well, as ya can see,” Applejack said while stepping into a small line in front of the desk. “Everypony gets along. We understand the effort all of us give to th’ competition, and we help each other out regardless of our status as competitors. It’s what good friends ‘re for.” She paused, letting out a coarse exhale. “'cept Fullbody an his snooty ptootie bunch of raisins,” She snickered at her own comment along with Rainbow.

They both took a few steps forward as the person in front finally left. Smirking, Rainbow thought to herself, man, I like that. Rivals or not, they get along so easily, even as far as helping the competition out. No bashing-heads unless you got somepony like Fullbody... Applejack and I...

“I kinda wish we were like that, Apples.” Rainbow said, chuckling at various memories

“Well, if somepony kept her ego at bay.” Applejack smiled.

Rainbow smirked, saying “I would if somepony kept her hooves on the ground.” She raised an eyebrow at Applejack.

Applejack narrowed her eyes, retaining her smile. “Ah wouldn't if somepony pulled her head outta th' clouds.”

Rainbow and Applejack glared at each other, daring the other person to step back. After a few seconds, both ponies chuckled.

“Heh, we're too competitive t' properly have a relationship like that.” Applejack said as she took a step forward, one more person in the way.

Rainbow looked into the distance for a second before speaking. “Yeah, too bad.”

Are we really that incompatible as friends? Are we truly unable to stop bickering? Rainbow thought.

Applejack glanced at Rainbow, disregarding any confusion she had when her name was called.

“Miss Applejack, you're next.”

Applejack looked at the desk before approaching. “Oh, sorry Miss R.”

“That's alright. I take it you're here for your weekly check up?” Miss R said as she looked through sign in folders.

“Yes ma'am. Ah also brought one o' my friends who'll be joinin' Sweet Apple Acres f’ the contest,” Applejack said while glancing at Rainbow, the pegasus examining the room.

The mare at the desk smiled. “Well alright. I just need you two to sign in for Sweet Apple Acres and you're good to go.” she said, pushing an open folder on the clearing of the desk.

“Ah gotcha.” Applejack said, picking up a pencil as she signed her name.

Applejack handed Rainbow the pencil who awkwardly grabbed it between her teeth from Applejack's mouth. The close contact was awkward for both, apparent by the embarrassed blushes. Rainbow ignored it and walked to the desk, staring down at the guest book. She saw Big Macintosh and Applejack's names written many times, including sign in and out dates as well as a comment: “Missing a few apples; critters are getting through,” or, “not enough water.” She signed in in the small guest box below. She spit out the pencil and quickly licked her lips.

“All done,” Rainbow said as she took a step back.

“Thank you,” Miss R said as she grabbed the folder, closing it as she did and placed it back into a drawer. “Have a nice day.”

“You too, ma'am,” Applejack said.

Rainbow nodded and followed as Applejack stepped out of line towards a double door. Applejack pushed the doors open, and Rainbow got a full view of the contest grounds unobscured. There were areas fenced off for each team with a sign hanging above; Rich Strawberry Fields, Grand Dairy Facilities, Fullbody Wine and Grapes, Sweet Apple Acres, there were too many to name and it stretched out passed the horizon; wide fields, grounds, buildings... she looked back to Sweet Apple Acres’ land, appropriately dubbed ‘Sweet Apple Acre.’ It was in the distance, but Rainbow recognized that blotch of colours as the sign for her friend's farm.

The walk through the fields was short, and they arrived at the Sweet Apple Acre. Like the other open fields, they had a small picket fence just to show the borders and walkways between each farm's crop area. Rainbow looked at the trees planted, each grown and tended to perfection and off to the side, a suspicious set of trees with nothing on them. Applejack stepped into the acre.

“Here's where we'll be harvestin'. Where ya will be transferin' th' goods is,” she said, pausing, “well, ya get a tour of the grounds before the start fer new members. That'll be where all farms 'n facilities send their crop, where it is then organized and documented before sellin',” she said as she trotted through the perfectly planted tree orchard, Rainbow following wide-eyed at the site of the perfect condition of the trees.

“Nifty. Let's do what we came here to do and then...” She paused. “Eat. We kinda forgot to eat due to Fathead Moneysack or whatever that pony's name was.” Rainbow gagged, her disgust painfully obvious.

Applejack chuckled. “Heh, we could always buck a few apples down an’ make somethin' in th' kitchen here,” she said as she got close to the trees to inspect them.

Rainbow nodded. “Sounds good. Have fun baking,” Rainbow joked as she looked at the surrounding area.

Sweet Apple Acre was in the middle row of land, 3-8th's of the way away from the main building. They were on the flat area of the competition grounds. The very end had a plateau where most of the factories and facilities were built for processing and packaging products. The grounds were, to Rainbow, at least 8 km long. Sweet Apple Acres only had to walk 3 km at the most.

“Heh, s'alright. Ya can be my taste tester along with me. No bakin' on yer end 'cause ah’m not as hungry as ya,” Applejack said as she examined the leaves and branches of the trees. “But at th' moment, can ya fly up an check the top of the trees?” she asked, looking at the trunk of the tree.

Rainbow looked up at the trees and looked around. “How do I tell if they're fine, or whatever?” she asked, giving her wings a quick flutter before hovering off the ground.

“Jus' check fer the redness of the apples, and fer worms,” Applejack began to write down.

“On it.” Rainbow said as she floated higher, above the trees. She looked down at the apples harder to see from the ground. Looking at the ones near the top, the tree Applejack and her were inspecting was perfect from the looks of it. “Apples bright and shiny up here, Applejack.” Rainbow said.

[*][*][*]

The next half hour proceeded like this. Now and then, Rainbow would see some apples lacking colour or containing a worm. Rainbow's hunger steadily grew as the minutes passed. Her tongue was teased by the sweet flavour whenever she picked off an apple, rotten or of the like. After a while, they finally came to the last tree, a basket already placed. Rainbow gave Applejack a nod, not spotting any sour apples on this tree.

“Alright, Rainbow. C'mon down here. Ah need a favour,” Applejack said.

Rainbow nodded and fluttered to the ground. Landing next to Applejack, she let her wings rest. “So what's the favour, Applejack?”

“Buck the tree nice an’ lightly,” Applejack said, smiling.

Rainbow looked back and forth between Applejack and the tree. “What, you sprain an ankle?” Rainbow asked with a hint of sarcasm.

“Naw, we jus' make it a bit of a tradition t' buck the last tree we inspect and ah figured t' let ya do it this time.” Applejack said. “We make our dinner usually with it. Ah figured we could'a made some dessert since we were supposed t' eat at the cafe but... heh, guess we're settlin' fer apples.” Applejack said.

Rainbow's eyes widened and she felt a smile escaping on her face. “Wow... thank you. I don't know what to say.” Rainbow said as she examined Applejack. She realized the sunset giving Applejack a magnificent atmosphere around her.

“How 'bout 'you're the greatest, Apples',” Applejack said while mocking Rainbow’s voice.

Rainbow let out a light chuckle. “Hey, don't get too ahead of yourself there.” Rainbow said as she approached the tree.

She looked at it up and down before sighing. She spun around 180 degrees, leaned on her forelegs, and gave the tree a light buck. The buck vibrated through her body, a signal that it connected safely. The shook from the impact, and she heard several apples fall down into a small basket set by the tree.

“Perfect buck there, sugarcube,” Applejack said as she approached the basket the apples fell into.

Rainbow mentally congratulated herself and felt the blush coming back. “Thanks, Applejack. Let's go and make something great with these.” Rainbow said as she took a proud stance.

The two ponies walked back to the Market Harvest main building. Rainbow didn't know the name of the building yet. Arriving, they immediately walked into the kitchen. Applejack then walked over to the specially marked Sweet Apple Acre area. The kitchen itself had many scents and noises as there were several farms and facilities there making things with their products. Applejack was glad she entered when she did because...

“I can't believe you're here,” came Moneybag's voice in the lobby.

Rainbow glared off towards the doors. “Grr, we better beat him. But,” she trailed off.

Applejack let out a built up sigh. “Why can't that guy jus' understan' that he just won. He didn' gain immortality or like immunity to the law.” She grit her teeth while making it to the counter.

Rainbow looked at the apples as she poured them into a strainer before placing the basket on the ground, strainer in the sink and turned the tap on.

“We're just going to have to knock him off his high saddle,” Rainbow said confidently as she turned the tap on.

Applejack's smile returned, brow bent giving her a devious smile. “Yer our winnin' ticket, RD. Y'all deserve the prize more than the rest o' us,” she said as she watched Rainbow rinse the apples.

“Heh, of course I do. I am Rainbow Dash, most awesome Pegasus ever,” she exclaimed.

“Whatever float's yer cloud, RD,” Applejack said, turning the tap off for Rainbow.

Rainbow glanced down at the apple, letting out a small giggle. She turned the faucet away, pulling out the strainer full of apples. She dumped them out over the counter.

“So, what're we making?” Rainbow asked as she examined each apple between her hooves.

“How does plain ol' apple pie sound? Apple pie and,” she paused. “Apple peanut butter?” she wondered.

Rainbow couldn't help but laugh at that. “The great kitchen of taste testing new treats, and you go for the basics?” Rainbow said, leaning on the counter.

Applejack smiled. “Well, ah am drawin' a blank fer what t' make.” She chortled.

“Apple family sure placed their soul in the best pony,” Rainbow teased.

“Well, ah haven't won a Market Harvest,” Applejack said, losing her cheerful demeanour instantly.

Rainbow's smile faded. “Oh, I'm sorry Applejack. I wasn't thinking. Let's just, uh,” she attempted to say. “We ca—” Before Rainbow could finish, a hoof to the mouth silenced her.

Applejack shook her head, preventing any further discussion. She removed her hoof, and sighed. “No no, ah understand. Let's just make some food.”

[*][*][*]

Hearing the ding of the egg-timer, Applejack pulled a fresh, steaming pie out of the oven and placed it on the counter. The scent was godly; the perfect aroma of apples, cinnamon and crust being baked to perfection. The look and shape was perfect, the steam only enhanced the sheer look of perfection the pie had. Rainbow stared at it with a drooling expression as if she hadn't eaten in weeks. Applejack seemingly didn't care much as she quickly moved to the next item.

“Is it just me or is this the greatest pie ever?” Rainbow said as she stared at it.

The scent overpowered the scents of other foods in the kitchen that had long since been finished preparation. Others looked, attracted to the smell of the pie. Applejack didn’t need to say anything before several others in the room came over, carrying their own foods.

“As always, it smells and looks amazing,” a olive-green mare said, dropping a bowl of salad on the counter.

“Why thank ya, Sweet Olive,” Applejack said as she quickly grabbed a stack of plates out from the cupboard above.

The mare in question had a cutie mark of lettuce greens with an olive on top; this was the mare mentioned by Chibi. Applejack dished out the pie to the eight ponies present. Rainbow stared at her pie and held back from eating it, allowing herself to drool over it. The others began eating it, dishing out their own foods for others to enjoy.

“This is great stuff, better than I remember,” Sweet Olive said while swallowing the piece of pie.

“Heh, thank ya, Sweet Olive. How's yer salad comin' along?” Applejack asked, taking a bite of her pie, humming as she ate the warm pie.

“Marvellous, dear. Business is good, how about yours?” Sweet Olive replied.

“Jus' fine. Ah hope that with mah new team, Sweet Apple Acres'll win this year and show Fullbody who's boss,” Applejack said as she took another bite of her pie. “I heard ya’ll got somepony else t’ handle yer ad campaign,” she asked.

“Yeah, a group known as ‘Blue Stage,’” Sweet Olive replied.

Meanwhile, Rainbow was still staring at her pie. Her eyes had soon lost the ability to change their direction, her mouth unable to prevent drooling, her nose being brutally assaulted by the apple-cinnamon aroma of the pie. She licked her lips.

“It's time,” Rainbow said quietly to herself.

She picked up the pie with her hoof and took a large bite. She felt the world vanish as she chewed the pie up. The taste of cinnamon, apple and the warm, brown crust overtook her taste buds. It slid down her throat with ease when she swallowed it. Rainbow closed her eyes. Applejack stepped forward, clearing her throat. Rainbow opened her eyes, seeing Applejack in front of her.

“How’s th’ pie, RD?” Applejack asked, cleaning up the rest of the mess.

Rainbow looked around, seeing that while she devoured her pie, the others had already finished and left. It was just them in the room. She swallowed the lump of pie. “It’s great. Also: What’s the schedule for tomorrow?” she asked, cleaning up her plate.

“First thing, ya will be joinin' Fluttershy an’ Pinkie at Sugarcube Corner sellin' some goods there,” Applejack replied. She put several dishes away after washing them. “After that, supposedly, ya will be pullin' a banner fer Sugarcube Corner t' practice f’ the competition.” She picked up the pan and knife, placing it into the sink. Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“Jeez, Twilight just cannot make up her mind. I wish she would just find a schedule and stick with it,” Rainbow said as she helped Applejack clean up by wiping down the counter top.

Applejack smiled. “T'morrow night however, on our unofficial schedule, we got somethin' else t' do,” she said as she washed the dishes in the sink.

“Ah, jeez, my schedule is getting more busy,” Rainbow said as she finished wiping down the table with a cloth.

“Also, we're,” Applejack paused. “Y'know what, ah'll tell ya when we get back t' Ponyville.”

Later that day, the two ponies stepped into a hotel room near the Market Harvest grounds. The window’s view overlooked the border of Equestria as well as a large stadium. Rainbow looked at it briefly before turning to Applejack.

“So, when we get back to Ponyville, do you mind if I stay at your place?” Rainbow asked.

Applejack stared at Rainbow in surprise. She thought before opening her mouth. “Whyfor?” she asked.

“Err, I just want to get up same as you do to get used to the schedule and all,” Rainbow said, fidgeting with her hooves.

“Wow, Rainbow. You're really gettin' into this whole thing.” Applejack said as she smiled widely.

“I just want to make you happy by winning this thing. As you say, hard work will always be rewarded, not should be rewarded because in the end, people like Fullpoppy win, and then, what was that hard work for?” Rainbow said with a fiery determination in her eyes as she sat up and stared directly at Applejack.

Applejack started smiling uncontrollably, rubbing the back of her head. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash. Ah can't thank you enough. Sure, ya can stay at my place. We don't have no guest room so ya'll have t' make do with a roll-away bed in mine. Ah'll fix ya up a spot in mah room, ya jus' need t' get what ya need from yer house.”

Rainbow smirked. “Alrighty then! We'll win this thing as a team for Sweet Apple Acres, and I'll win this for you. I'm still confused about that trust thingy but for now, I can give you my word, my current idea of trust: We will win and we will not lose to some sack of greed with no respect for his competition.” Rainbow stood up, several ponies from other booths starting to stare. Applejack's mouth was still in a smile, her eyes staring at Rainbow.

“I'll fly my best if you buck your best. I'll be your wings, and with wings, you'll be the one looking down on Fullhead Moneysaddle or whatever in the end.” Rainbow raised her head. “Fullmedal won’t win this thing, for sure.”

Rainbow hopped into one of the two beds in the room, and immediately rolled up in a blanket.

“Ah can’t thank ya enough, Rainbow,” Applejack said while sliding into the other bed’s covers.

Rainbow shook her head, snuggling into the pillow.

“Thank me at the victory party, AJ,” Rainbow said, closing her eyes and allowing sleep to come.