The Story of the Apple Spectrum

***Chapter 2:5:

Banana Bread and Welcome Party***

Rainbow Dash casually flew through town, passing Ponyville Elementary. Her fly around the acres lasted a straight hour before she took off for Sugar Cube Corner to meet Pinkie. Down below, the gingerbread house sweet shop was bustling with ponies. It’s not rare to see Sugar Cube Corner full, but in this case, ‘full’ is like trying to say Twilight's OCD is nothing to worry about, Rainbow thought. She looked around, spotted no place to touch down near the store, and sighed. She descended onto the balcony to Pinkie's room. She looked through the door and didn't notice Pinkie in there.

She knocked three times and waited, just for good measure. To her surprise, a pink pony bounced through the door to the room and turned to the balcony door, a big smile on her face; usual Pinkie mood. She bounced towards the door and opened both halves.

“Hiya, Rainbow Dash. Are ya here to help now? GREAT! Fluttershy helped a few days ago and she assisted me and the Cakes with baking for a bit before opening and she made this amazing banana bread and then one pony bought it when we opened and he thought it was so amazing he had to tell everypony so then he and I broke out into a song and now everypony wants to try it!” Pinkie said all in one breath.

Rainbow stared, taking in it all at once. “Well apparently, the banana bread so good, everypony is going to earn you guys enough money to retire,” she smirked. “I actually didn't know Fluttershy could bake that well.” Rainbow stepped in, closing the balcony door.

“Wowiee, me too! Our greatest super duper secret ingredient is actually not so secret: laughter! And then Fluttershy came in and said her secret ingredient is 'love and kindness’,” Pinkie said as she frantically looked around her room as if looking for something before staring directly into Rainbow's face, halting her bouncing. Rainbow stared back, both ponies not moving. “Rainbow, I must be able to make this banana bread on a daily basis. Will you teach me this 'love' that Fluttershy is talking about!?” Pinkie asked with a stern, serious voice.

Rainbow stared wide-eyed at Pinkie. “Uh, what?” she asked, completely unsure what she heard was actually spoken.

Pinkie leaned in closer, her eyes squinting. “Teach me how to love like Fluttershy!” she said. “This banana bread is awesome and I don't wanna ask Fluttershy because I don't want to embarrass her by making her have to teach me something!”

Rainbow Dash's mind exploded inside. She felt the huge urge to burst into laughter. Instead, she just giggled sheepishly. “No Pinkie, I can't. You already know it,” she said, having a guess as to what Fluttershy meant.

Pinkie sighed. “Oka~y...” She retreated a few steps before piping up immediately. “SO, do you wanna come down and help? Do you know how to handle a cash register? If not, you can help bake! Do you know how to bake? If not, you can taste the food before we sell it! If you can't taste—” Pinkie giggled before she could finish. “If you can’t taste, you can always just go stand outside and recommend food items. Like banana bread!”

Rainbow giggled. “No, I’m able to bake just fine,” she said, to which Pinkie nodded her head quickly. “To answer your twenty-thousand questions, I can use the cash register, but I’d rather practice another day,” she said. Don’t want a repeat of yesterday. “That, and I'd rather not have to deal with customers, especially since you have a lot of customers today. I’m fine with baking in the kitchen.”

Pinkie nodded. “Okie doki loki, let's bounce on downstairs so you can help the cakes in the kitchen!” she said as she bounced towards her door.

Rainbow nodded and followed Pinkie downstairs to the main store itself. Rainbow could hear the chaos already as many ponies were talking downstairs. Even with the chatter, she could hear Fluttershy and Mrs. Cake trying to deal with the customers at the counter. Stepping down the stairs, Rainbow groaned when she saw it was just as crowded inside as it was outside. At the base of the steps was a small fence on the ground for staff. Rainbow spotted Mr. Cake trying to bake while watching Pumpkin and Pound Cake in the kitchen. Pinkie gasped before rushing to the counter.

“Oh, Pinkie, please take over! I can't do this!” Fluttershy said as she bagged and sold more banana bread.

Rainbow was astonished, but set that aside for the moment. She sighed as she walked towards the double doors of the kitchen.

She spotted Fluttershy walking over to Mr. Cake, relieving him of the twins. At that same moment, Mr. Cake spotted Rainbow.

“Oh, Pinkie and Fluttershy said you would be coming. Could you help me cut up the loaves of bread, Miss Dash?” Mr. Cake asked, anxiety in his voice.

Rainbow nodded and walked over to the kitchen's island. There was a lot of banana bread to be cut still. She immediately grabbed the first cutting knife she saw and proceeded to cut the loaf into reasonable slices. Slowly, then faster, and faster, until she realized if  she went any faster, she'd be endangering herself and others. She quickly made short work of the banana bread in the first row, before shoving it off to the side to be bagged. Fluttershy set the twins into a play area, giving each little blow-up hammers to stay occupied. She trotted over and started bagging the bread carefully but fast enough to meet demand. She stuck a price sticker onto the bag and closed them with twist ties. This continued.

Rainbow switched hooves as to not let herself be beat by a sore wrist. This was simple earth pony grunt work. If she couldn't do it, then how could she applebuck? Rainbow really needed to learn how to bake like the Cakes and Pinkie. Responsibility; she had to be dependable and honest. She had to be someone Applejack could trust. Character; if Rainbow didn't try and understand the long, tedious work Applejack does on a daily basis, she never will.

This was another challenge, another competition against herself. She stopped cutting for a second to examine; she had cut over 12 loaves of bread, and was examining the overall work. They had over 30 loaves left to cut. 12 loaves in fifteen minutes according to the clock. She shrugged it off. This was one hurdle, one hurdle that can't be passed with wings. This requires hard work and determination. She began to cut again as Fluttershy bagged the bread cut by her and Mr. Cake.

[*][*][*]

After a mad rush of cutting bread, Rainbow and Mr. Cake finished cutting the banana bread, Rainbow glad to be finished. The rush died down, and the customers slowed down to a crawl. The store was a total contrast to how it was earlier. After what Pinkie dubbed the ‘Banana Bread Basket Blitz’ ended, most ponies came in for other things. Muffins, cupcakes, scones, cookies, and various others. Some were regulars, some were ponies who came whenever they had the spare change. She looked over at the clock; 1:34 PM.

“Ready, Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie said, popping out of nowhere.

Rainbow thought for a second as she placed the cutting knife down. “Ready? For what?” she asked as she quickly examined the kitchen. It was a mess of flour and breadcrumbs. Mr. Cake was taking a break, playing with the twins, while Mrs. Cake was busy selling whatever goods to the few customers still there.

“Silly, you're practising banner pulling with the extra large banner for Sugar Cube Corner,” Pinkie said as she bounced off to the back room.

“Oh, right.”

She took a few steps back, slumping down onto a stool. Finally relaxing, she took a deep breath. Pinkie bounced back, balancing a large white box on her head as she approached Rainbow. She stopped just in front of Rainbow and dropped the box.

“Here ya go. Inside is a harness and the large banner,” Pinkie said.

Rainbow nodded. “Alright. I've pulled a banner before and that was large, unless this one is larger.” she pondered as she opened it up and put the harness on.

It’s not as nice as the one I’ve been using lately. Slightly run down, but it was sturdy enough to pull banners. The harness itself is sort of itchy but not enough to actually force me to remove it and scratch it. She walked out to the back door, feeling the warm air brush through her mane as the door opened. She took a big sniff of the air. Pinkie followed out shortly, carrying the banner.

“Ya forgot this, silly!” she said in her ever so bouncy mood.

Rainbow smiled. “Didn't forget, just testing the waters, or winds,” she said as Pinkie and her began to clip the large banner on as Pinkie pulled it out of the box.

After a few seconds, the banner was clipped to the harness and Rainbow hovered for a bit. It was indeed heavier than her usual banner but nothing she couldn't handle, granted a wind doesn't come her way and yank the banner.

“Well Pinks, I'm off,” Rainbow said as she bent her legs, preparing to take off.

Pinkie waved. “Okie doki loki, see ya later, Dashie!” she said as she bounced in.

Rainbow flapped her wings her hardest for ground take-offs and she began dragging the huge banner into the sky. Later on, not even 15 minutes into her flight, she continued checking behind her every few seconds to look back at the massive banner. It was fully extended it's whole length, plain as day.

“'It's just around the Sugar Cube Corner'” Rainbow said as she stared back at the banner before focusing on the air. Smooth Pinkie, real smooth, Rainbow thought as she examined the airspace in front of her.

After a few hours of flying through the air with nothing to do, Rainbow dived down towards the ground out back behind Sugar Cube Corner. She touched down behind the sweet shop to see Pinkie Pie and many, many decapitated, exploded, or savagely beaten pinatas strewn about. Candy was splattered everywhere. This was the most vicious display of inanimate brutality Rainbow had ever seen. There was even a Pegasus pinata pinned to a wall, wings merely a nub and the chest open with candy hanging out. Rainbow shuddered before quickly unstrapping the banner.

“So, how was your flight Rainbow Dash? Do we have hundreds of new customers? How about thousands? Did ya have fun?” Pinkie asked in her hyper-active jumpy mood as she quickly folded the banner up.

“Uh, yeah, I had fun, I guess,” Rainbow trailed off.

It wasn't particularly exciting. She never did like dragging a banner; it was a boring job but it was good pay. Pinkie had completely folded the banner and placed it into the box. Rainbow proceeded to unbuckle the harness on her body and when she finished, the entire mess of pinatas and candy was gone, only a single box of cupcakes left. Rainbow shrugged it off as another Pinkie Pie antic. She grabbed the harness with her hoof and pulled it off fully and handed it over to Pinkie who put that in the box too before closing it. Hoisting it onto her back, Pinkie bounced back in, right over the box of cupcakes.

“Of, Dashie, could you take that over to Sweet Apple Acres? Apple Bloom and Big Mac requested a box of cupcakes. Oh, and thank yo~u for your he~lp!” Pinkie said before bouncing out of the backroom into the kitchen.

Rainbow smiled. “Alright. Catch ya later, Pinks,” Rainbow said as she closed the back door and grabbed the closed box and held it between her hooves.

She flapped her wings and hovered for a bit, testing the weight of the box. It wasn't too heavy. Just fine. She gave her wings her signature takeoff flap, bursting into the sky, hooves tightly holding onto the cupcake box. She soared over Sugar Cube Corner and towards the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. Letting out a happy sigh, she dived down, coming up to the porch. She saw Apple Bloom walking in through the front door just seconds before she touched down. She looked down between her hooves. “Either Big Mac or Apple Bloom.” Rainbow said as she placed the box on her back.

Rainbow walked up to the door and opened it up, stepping inside to be met with a loud ‘SURPRISE.’ Inside, Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh had shouted surprise while Granny Smith slept in her rocking chair. There was several streamers hung, and a few balloons. Rainbow smiled as she examined the scene.

“Oh, hey, you guys remembered my-” Rainbow paused, her smile vanishing. She let her head hang as she rubbed her temples, Applejack and Apple Bloom letting out a few giggles. “Uh, I dunno. What did you remember?” Rainbow asked as she stepped in, closing the door and walking over to a nearby clean surface to set the box of cupcakes down.

“Heh heh, nuthin', Rainbow. We jus' thought about throwin' ya a surprise party t' welcome ya to th' Apple Family,” Applejack said as Big Macintosh walked over and took the box of cupcakes into the kitchen.

Rainbow cocked her head. “Welcome to the family? Not even a first date?” Rainbow joked.

Apple Bloom, Applejack, Big Mac and Rainbow all laughed, Applejack and Rainbow stopping earlier than the others. Rainbow let out a small cough.

“Wait, I'm temporarily staying here.” Rainbow said as she walked over to a chair in the kitchen, sitting down at the table. Big Mac, Apple Bloom and Applejack following suit.

“Rainbow, yer welcome t' our family no matter how long ya'll be stayin',” Applejack said as she stretched out her forelegs.

Rainbow’s mouth curved upwards and she found herself grinning.

“Thanks, Applejack.” she stopped for a second. “So, how was your day? And, stuff.” Rainbow asked.

[*][*][*]

The night was full of Apple family food, their typical games; it was just like a sleepover most schoolmares had on Friday. Except Big Macintosh was there. Rainbow never felt more at home than she did here. As the night dragged on, the ponies got tired. Granny Smith went to bed early with Apple Bloom following shortly after. Big Macintosh, Applejack and Rainbow played a quick game of ‘Candy Land: Pinkie Edition.’ Rainbow remembered how this game was made: Pinkie sent a letter a day for six months after she got the original Candy Land game. She constantly praised their game and the fact that candy was involved. Eventually, the company cracked and offered Pinkie to make a version just for her so she'd stop writing. Rainbow chuckled at the memory when Pinkie nearly exploded with happiness when they sent her the copy promised to her.

Big Mac went to bed after the game, then it was just Rainbow and Applejack, alone in the living room. There wasn't much talk, let alone small talk going on between the two. After a few minutes of nothing but silence plus chatter, the two shut off the lights and walked upstairs to Applejack's room. Rainbow walked in, spotting a part of Applejack's room having been cleaned out earlier and with a new nightstand next to a roll-away bed. Rainbow's saddlebags were placed atop the nightstand.

“Well, there's yer part of th' room, Rainbow. Go ahead an’ set up yer stuff,” Applejack said as she removed her hat.

“Alright, thanks,” Rainbow said, trotting over to her half.

Rainbow looked at her saddlebags. She opened one of them and pulled out a pair of pyjamas. She set them atop of the roll-away, pulling out a blanket from her bag as well. She set her blanket, a Wonderbolts blanket, on top of the plain bed. She looked over to see Applejack hopping onto her bed.

“Thank you, Applejack. I mean, you basically gave me half of your room for the moment,” Rainbow said as she pulled her pj’s out from under her Wonderbolts blanket.

Applejack let out a small chuckle. “Don't thank me, y'all are welcome here as long as ya like.”

Rainbow slipped into the pj’s. She always did this when she had to rest in a bed other than her own for an extended period of time until she finally got used to it.

“I can't help it. I just don't believe how open you are,” Rainbow said as she buttoned up her pj's.

“Ah'm jus' lettin' a friend into mah home. No biggie.” Applejack said. Applejack looked at Rainbow as the cyan Pegasus did a few stretches before pulling her blanket back. “Heh, ya look real cozy in them pj's, RD.” She as she slipped under her own covers, yawning.

Rainbow let out a small chuckle. “Hey, they're only temporary until I'm used to this bed,” Rainbow slid under the covers.

The bed is slightly hard compared to Applejack's bed, but it’s still comfy. It isn’t a super heavy duty mattress, but it’ll have to do, Rainbow thought.

She looked over to the farmer. “Applejack, today, I-” Rainbow paused as Applejack's attention was on Rainbow. Rainbow attempted to find the right words.

“Applejack, you said you didn't want to be happy if I wasn't me. Well, what if being me, being Rainbow Dash, meant making my friends happy? I mean-” she paused again. “I don't know why I want to, I guess I'm just tired of the same ol', same ol'. Y'know, the fact that I have an easy, quick job and you have a long, physically draining job, we argue, I don't want that. I can't be satisfied by getting through life easily.” She let a moment of silence pass. “I'll still try and get it done as fast as possible regardless of the job.”

Applejack let out a laugh through the darkness. Rainbow chuckled, rolling over in her bed. She placed her head onto the pillow, smelling the same, earthy scent from Applejack’s bed; this was a pillow from her bed. She wanted to prove herself as a good friend, able to have a competitive moment now and then with Applejack, but not like usual where they argue and bicker over who's better. She wanted a relationship with less bickering and more hanging out like good friends.

“Jeez, listen to me go on and on, getting all sappy, and stuff.” Rainbow let out a chuckle, Applejack chuckling along with her.

“Yer secret's safe with me, Rainbow. This'll be just between us two.” Applejack said, rolling in her bed as she started to fall asleep.

The moonlight invaded the room, giving it a dim, light blue glow. Rainbow sighed happily. Maybe after I prove myself to Applejack, we can enjoy a nice friendship where we can tease each other harmlessly without flipping out over it. Until then...

“Well, thanks Applejack. I think we get to sleep because we've got stuff to do tomorrow,” Rainbow said as she finally found a comfy position.

“Alrighty then. G'night Rainbow Dash.” Applejack said.

Soon, the two ponies fell asleep, the memories of the past week easing both minds as the world of dreams took over.