Applejack stared at the bright and vivid poster adorning the side of the town hall. It didn't have all that many words, but then again, it didn't really need much to convey its core message. There were only a handful of big sporting events in Equestria, and Applejack knew most of them like the back of her hoof.
There was the Equestria Games, which was a huge international event, despite its name implying it might be for ponies only. Thing was, it wasn't a place for individual competitors, and instead focused on having towns and cities be represented by their best athletes. It wasn't really a place for Applejack, who preferred to act independently.
Then there was the splattering of rodeos that would pop up all over Equestria. They were always fun, and Applejack loved participating. For starters, she was good at them. She practised and practised and had a knack for lassoing, hay-tossing, and barrel-racing. Sure, rodeos tended to be Earth pony exclusive, so they didn't get as much exposure as the Equestria Games, but hey, you take the good with the bad. It was fun, and it brought in some handy prize money if she took first place.
There was whatever the pegasi did. They probably had some fancy name, but Applejack just called them 'pegasus sports'. There was the pegasus sport where they raced across clouds, the pegasus sport where they did tricks, the pegasus sport where they threw weather at each other... Rainbow liked them, and for that reason, Applejack took them seriously, but since she could never participate, there wasn’t much reason for her to be more interested than that. Same for unicorn sports. Applejack didn’t even have a friend to tell her about those: she didn’t even know the first thing about unicorn athletics. Maybe it was just like Earth pony sports, but with special head protection for the horns?
In-between everything, though, existed a comfortable middle-ground for ponies of every stripe. These were the Canterlot Three Games, where individual athletes and teams could compete in various athletic events. It was similar to the Equestria Games, but wasn't focused on teams and cities. The independent athlete could enter regardless of affiliation. You didn’t compete for Ponyville, or Canterlot, or Manehattan, or Griffonstone. Just yourself.
It was this event the poster was advertising. Book tickets now, it said. Compete in the Canterlot Three.
"What're you looking at, sis'?" Applebloom asked. She was carrying a big basket of apples on her back, and was looking at Applejack with a curious look in her eye. "You've been awful distracted today," she said, looking at the poster. "Ooh, do you wanna go see the Games? Where are they?"
"Canterlot," Applejack replied. "I was actually thinkin' of enterin'," she said. After a moment's pause, she hastily added, "So long as I finish work up, of course."
"I thought you only liked rodeos," Applebloom said.
Usually, I do, Applejack thought. The Canterlot Three were an exception, though, and it all came down to a photo that hung at the back of the dresser in the farm's dining room. Applejack sighed.
No matter what she wanted, she was probably going to be too busy with the harvest anyway.
"Well, of course I'm entering," Rainbow said, putting her hoof on her chest. "Wouldn't be much of an athlete if I didn't, huh? Already took leave from the weather team and got the Captain's say-so to go and represent the Wonderbolts." She leaned back against the tree she was relaxing next to. "I'll be entering the pegasus races, if you were wondering."
Applejack wiped sweat off her forehead. She had been working twice as hard as usual to clear the last batch of apples into storage before Winter. "So, it's easy to enter?"
"Yeah. You just need some background in sports or athletics, and an entrance fee. I got plenty of background, and the Wonderbolts agreed to even pay for me entering," Rainbow said. She tilted her head. "You've been working pretty hard. I thought this was an easy time of year for you?"
Applejack didn't reply. She was too busy thinking about the entrance fee.
"How much is the fee?"
"One hundred bits," Rainbow replied, causing Applejack to bite her lip. "The prize money is worth way more than that, though. If I win, I have to pay back interest for the Wonderbolts sponsoring me."
Applejack sighed. If it was her own money, she'd go for it, but since everything she owned belonged to her family as a whole...
"Hey, you want to come watch? It'll be loads of fun. I'll be flying," Rainbow said, making whooshing motions with her hooves, "And probably winning, too! There'll be loads of stuff to see, it'll be great. There’ll even be that super-fast Earth pony we keep hearing about. What’s his name?"
Applejack looked towards the farm. "Haywire Hoofit,” she said. “I'll think 'bout it."
Rainbow's eyes narrowed, and her lips slid into a sly smile. "Or maybe..." she began, using her wings to propel her upright, "You're more interested in entering..."
Applejack snorted, although it was only half-hearted. "I... probably not," she said. "I'd need to pay the entrance fee, and besides, I don't have a coach. I've never done any kind of sport 'sides from rodeos."
“I’m just saying, I spend a lot of time flying over here, and you’re working three times as hard as usual for a reason,” Rainbow commented, flying over Applejack like an irritatingly persuasive blue genie. "And you can just find a coach. They're not that rare."
"I don't know any."
"I know tons!" Rainbow boasted. "There's Calamity Cyclone, the former flying champion for Las Pegasus, Zipp Zapp, who developed the legendary double-half wingbeat motion, and Spitfire, of course, but she's mine, so you can't have her—"
Applejack held her hoof up. "Don't mean to sound ungrateful," she said, "But they aren't exactly my type of pony..."
Rainbow paused. "Huh," she said. "Good point, they're all pegasus specialists. Like, serious specialists." She tapped her chin, lazily flapping up onto one of the apple tree branches and resting her forelegs and head on the bark. "Well, there is one Earth pony coach I know," she said. Her face brightened. "Oh, and she's like best friends with me, so I know she'll be up for helping you!"
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" she asked. "What's she like?"
"She's super tough. I've never seen her in action myself, but I've heard stories. Supposedly she never loses. Ever. She's like a legend. She’s a games inspector now."
"And you know her how?" Applejack asked.
"Well, I'm a legend too, y'know. I keep tabs on ponies who could give me a run for my money."
"I mean, how'd you meet?" Applejack asked. Curiosity and the whiff of excitement was getting the better of her.
"Harshwhinny! You remember her, right? We did the funny dance routine in the Crystal Empire for her," Rainbow said. She frowned. "Well, we didn't end up doing it for her, but instead some random pony, but it was meant for her..."
Applejack scoffed. "What, the Harshwhinny we met? Weren't she the stuffy one with the little jacket an' pearl earrings?" She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think you two were, what'd you call it... 'best friends'."
"Well, I'm not kidding. She's supposed to have been real cool back in the day," Rainbow said. "And I know how to push buttons, so one word to me and I can arrange anything you want, no probl—"
"Oh, yeah?"
Rainbow deflated. "Well, I can send a polite letter asking nicely?"
Applejack nodded. "That sounds about right." She sighed. "I'll... think 'bout it."
Rainbow shrugged. "'Kay. I thought you were only really into rodeos. You didn't even do anything for the Equestria Games, and they were pretty big."
The picture in the dining room came back to the forefront of Applejack's mind.
"Well, usually, I am only into rodeos," she said. "It's just... I always wanted to be in the Canterlot Three."
"But not the Equestria games."
"No."
"Why?"
"I dunno," Applejack lied. "It always looked like fun."
"Wow," Rainbow said, rolling her eyes and putting her hooves to her cheeks in mock amazement. "That sounds so believable and true." She shrugged. "Tell you what, I won't ask, but if you care enough to lie about it, you definitely should participate. Heck, I'll even sponsor you if you can't do it yourself..."
Applejack's eyes narrowed. "I ain't borrowin' money from anypony. 'Specially not a friend."
"Friends are, like, the best ponies to borrow money from. Besides, it's not like I don't have tons kicking around," she said. "I only took the Wonderbolts deal because it meant I could get a Wonderbolt coach and represent the actual Wonderbolts and stuff."
The fact that Rainbow claimed to have 'tons' of money didn't make Applejack any more eager to borrow from her. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'll pay for myself."
Rainbow shrugged. "'Kay, whatever, but you better be in the games," she said. "Or else."
"Or else what?"
"I'll be super disappointed," Rainbow replied. She took a look at the sun, and widened her eyes. "Shoot, gotta fly. See you later, AJ!"
Applejack let the wind from Rainbow's wings whip at her mane as she stared at the grass. One hundred bits, she thought, was a fair amount of money. Not tons, nothing that would bankrupt her... but it didn't exactly feel honest taking one-hundred bits away from her family when they could use it on something less selfish.
At least the pre-Winter harvest was almost over. There were no more apples hanging on the trees, and already the forest of leaves were beginning to be replaced by cold, grey bark. Applejack brushed a pile of orange and golden leaves into a pile as a brisk wind brushed through her mane.
Participating in rodeos was different. For starters, it wasn't as expensive by far. Secondly, her whole family enjoyed the events, so it wasn't as selfish. Right? In fact, a lot of the time she entered for her family. This time, though, it was going to be for herself. That was the point, she thought. An independent athlete trying to win. It's what they would have done.
She could hear Applebloom gab at Big Mac in the distance. Applebloom hadn't said much when Applejack confessed she was thinking of entering the games. Big Mac wouldn't say anything. Granny Smith would probably say yes, because she'd feel she had to. That made it worse.
And besides, what was the point of entering if she couldn’t at least keep up?
Applejack put the basket of apples on the ground. She breathed in, and rolled her head from left to right, cracking her neck.
She bolted. The gold and orange leaves she had brushed in a pile flew in her wake like a broken cloak. Muscles went from relaxed to burning in seconds. Her breath pumped oxygen like a steam-engine. Her body immediately began to compensate for the increase in body temperature with sweat.
Her hooves rolled over the grass at a lightning fast tempo, thundering across the orchard. Applejack's eyes swiveled left to right and her body darted around trees with ease.
When she reached the end of the orchard, she stopped. She stamped her hooves a little to relax her muscles, and began panting. By her estimate, it had taken her less than a minute to reach the edge.
Haywire Hoofit, one of the best athletes among Earth pony kind could have done it in half the time.
Applejack sighed, and stretched her back. How fair was it to ask her family to give up money when she probably couldn't even win? She wiped the sweat on her hooves off on the grass, and plucked a piece of long grass for her to chew on. What point was there in competing if you couldn't win? It wasn't a rodeo. She wanted to do it seriously. It wasn’t just a game.
She sighed.
It was probably a stupid idea, no matter how much she wanted it. She turned to go back to pick up her apples and return to the house.
The dinner table was filled with the usual conversation about Applebloom's school, chores, and the harvest. Granny commented that Applejack had finished the harvest early. Applejack nodded. It was true, after all.
"Ooh," Applebloom began, "Didn’t Applejack say she wanted to take part in the Canterlot... Three, weren't it?" Applebloom frowned. "I can't right remember."
Applejack swallowed. Granny Smith looked at Applejack with a curious old-pony look in her eye.
"That so?"
Applejack hadn't wanted to discuss the matter. She sighed. "It was a dumb idea," she muttered.
Granny Smith slowly wobbled to her hooves and began to move towards the dresser in the corner. Applejack sighed harder. She ran a hoof over her forehead, and glared at Applebloom.
The young filly put her hooves up defensively, not understanding what had gone wrong.
"This have somethin' to do with this?" Granny Smith asked, plucking the picture from the back. She peered at the old photograph. "This was taken years ago."
Applejack sighed.
"A bit," she confessed, "Yeah..."
The picture was of two ponies, a mare and a stallion, each holding medals. Granny Smith sniffed, although Applejack wasn't sure if it was because she was sad or had something caught in her nose.
"They did real well," Granny said. "Two silvers and a bronze, if I remember right. They donated 'em. Can't remember where." She put the picture back. "I convinced 'em to try it after I won gold at the divin' event, ages ago. If you want to try'n follow in their hoofsteps..."
"There's an entry fee," Applejack muttered. "I don't want t'impose."
"We can pay the entry fee, though, right?" Applebloom asked. "We have money saved up, right?"
Applejack didn't reply.
"Well, harvest's finished, so I don't see why there's a problem," Granny Smith said. "Hundred bits is what it was, right?"
"Yeah, but I also need a coach," Applejack said. "Otherwise I ain't got no shot."
A loud, uncoordinated rattle shook the house, causing each and every pony to jump. Even Granny Smith, for whom jumping was a distant memory.
"Hey!" came Rainbow's voice through the window, which she was banging her hoof against with an inequine amount of gusto. "I got you a coach! Isn't that cool?"
Applejack sighed. She opened the window for Rainbow, who leaned in and waved at the rest of her family.
"Hey guys. What'cha doing?"
"Finishin' an argument," Granny Smith said with a smirk. She walked over to Applejack. "Now, listen here, young filly," she began.
Applejack held her hoof up.
"I get it," she said.
"You better," Granny Smith replied, managing a wrinkly smile. “You can go on trainin’ or whatever it is you do these days, and I’ll go sign you up. It’s been years since I’ve filled in the old forms. I wonder if they’ve changed.”
Applejack sighed with a smile. “Thanks, Granny.”
Granny Smith nodded in a businesslike manner. "Now that's settled, how 'bout you invite your friend in?" She turned to Rainbow. "We made apple'n potato stew."
"Sweet," Rainbow exclaimed, already salivating at the prospect of free food.
Applejack sighed.
"Y'all... don't want to see Rainbow eat," she said, but Rainbow had already sat herself in-between Applebloom and Applejack's seat and began serving herself. Rainbow was an industrial eater. She didn't so much chew her meals, she processed it in mass quantities. She approached food consumption in the same way a vacuum cleaner approached sucking up dust. She was pragmatic and enthusiastic.
Big Mac winced as the food began to get shovelled away. Applejack sat down, and made a point of not looking Rainbow's way.
"I warned ya."
Applejack waited in the fields outside the town, keeping an eye on the sun as time went by. She tapped her hoof, keeping the blood flowing in her limbs. She looked around, wondering when Harshwhinny would arrive.
Applejack hadn't heard much about the games inspector prior to meeting her, but then again, it turned out it was surprisingly difficult to learn about the previous Canterlot Three games. Different ponies had different accounts of what happened, but to Applejack they mostly sounded like silly rumours. All she was interested in today was hearing about what Harshwhinny said about her ability, and about whether she thought she had a chance of winning.
She was early, she knew, but she didn't want Harshwhinny to think she was anything less than professional. That was the kind of mare Harshwhinny was, if Applejack recalled right.
Rainbow wasn't there to wait with her. She had her own meeting with Spitfire, after all. Applejack breathed out. If Harshwhinny said yes, she'd have somepony to train her. Then she'd have a real shot at winning, surely.
Then she could follow in her parent's hoofsteps and become a medallist in the Canterlot Three. And that... would mean a lot.
"Ms. Applejack?"
Applejack spun on her heels.
Ms. Harshwhinny was a mare of average height, and despite not being unfit, she was definitely starting to show her age. She had lines that creased around the corners of her mouth when she spoke, and her mane was beginning to become somewhat mousy and thin. She dressed like an older, more distinguished mare, too, wearing a scarf and jacket as if she were a bit cold all the time.
"Um, yes, ma'am?" Applejack replied, coughing. "Pleased to meet you... again."
Harshwhinny appraised Applejack from hoof to forelock. "I wasn't aware you were an athlete," she said. "You didn't participate in the Equestria Games."
Applejack couldn't help herself. "Well, t'be fair, ma'am, I didn't know you were an athlete either until recently."
Harshwhinny raised an eyebrow. "How did you think I got a trophy for a cutie mark, then?" she asked, and adjusted her scarf. "I participated in the Canterlot Three, and the Equestria Games once upon a time." She stopped talking for a moment to look at Applejack again, most specifically at her eyes. After a moment, she shook her head to herself, likely dismissing whatever thought she had as coincidence. "I took gold on all occasions but... well, not any more. I'm afraid I'm somewhat past my prime."
"But y'all can still help me out, though, right?" Applejack asked. "I know some of the times the other athletes have managed, and I need some real intense trainin' to put me on their level."
Harshwhinny looked serious. Then again, she always seemed to look serious. "I ought to give you some kind of warning," she said. "When I was training, I didn't go easy on myself, and I won't with you." She gestured at her cutie-mark. "My cutie-mark is, as you've probably noticed, a trophy. Yours is..."
"Apples," Applejack said. "Three. Represents my devotion to my family," she said, pointing at each of the apples in turn. "Three of 'em for my closest family members, but it kinda works for all my family. Friends too, if they're good."
"Mine represents my talent at winning," Harshwhinny said. "I got my cutie-mark when I learned that's what I was good at, and that I wanted to spend my whole life doing it." She looked Applejack dead in the eye. "You can imagine then that I don't mess around.”
Applejack swallowed. She had never heard of a cutie-mark in winning.
"I reckon not."
Harshwhinny gave a small, prim smile, and extended her hoof then. "Well, if you're willing to give it a go regardless... I can guarantee you that if you show discipline and professionalism, the other ponies won't know what hit them."
The train station wasn't packed. In fact, Applejack and Harshwhinny were one of perhaps a half-dozen ponies aiming to travel at that time of day, at that time of year. It was around eleven o'clock, and just before the end of Autumn. It was hardly holiday season, and anypony commuting to Canterlot would have already gone.
"Where are we headin'?" Applejack asked. Harshwhinny had thus far kept her in the dark regarding her training regimen, opting instead to go and organise their trip and leave Applejack to say her temporary goodbyes to her family.
"Canterlot, of course," Harshwinny said. "That's where the Canterlot Three will be hosted this year."
"We're trainin' in Canterlot?"
"Outside Canterlot," Harshwhinny corrected. "The slopes of the mountain host more than a few locations suited to our purposes."
The train pulled into the station, and Harshwhinny picked up her little flower-adorned suitcase and trotted on-board. Applejack slung her saddlebags over her back and followed suit.
"What kinda trainin' did you have in store for me?" Applejack asked as they sat down opposite each other on the train.
"Running and athletics," Harshwinny said. "Like most ponies of your disposition, you're a competent long-distance runner, so I'd like to increase your all-around agility and power," she said. "We'll also need to improve your balance and control while we're at it, since we don't want your new strength to make you clumsy." She gave Applejack a haughty look. "There's more to my training that just lifting weights and grunting. We will be precise and elegant."
Applejack wasn't sure she associated herself with precision and elegance, but she supposed that if she did, maybe she could beat Haywire Hoofit in a race. She nodded.
"Sounds good to me," she said.
Harshwhinny nodded. "Well, excellent. I have to admit, I was expecting you to be more like your, ah, friend."
"Y'mean Rainbow?" Applejack asked. "Yeah, she ain't the professional sort unless she's really focusing. She ain't so bad, though. She helped convince me to give this a shot, after all."
"Quite. She doesn't lack for enthusiasm." Harshwhinny tapped her hoof against the table. "She reminds me of a friend I trained with a long time ago." Her expression darkened. "There are ponies more skilled and powerful than those you've seen at the Equestria Games that will be appearing in the Canterlot Three, you know," she said. "The Canterlot Three has a way of causing the independent athletes who aren't quite sociable enough to join a team to come out of the woodwork."
"Like who?"
"Well... myself, for starters, a long time ago," Harshwhinny said, her mouth curling in distaste. "I shan't be competing after last games, however."
"What happened last time?"
"The last Canterlot Three events were... rather special," Harshwhinny said. "It was the only instance where I... well..."
"...lost?" Applejack guessed.
Harshwhinny bristled. Applejack imagined that she must have been correct.
"I did more than lose. In the Earth pony events, only a handful got silver and bronze medals. The entire event was filled with injuries, quitters, and damaged infrastructure." Harshwhinny looked out the window. "Most events only gave out a gold medal because there would only be one competitor who finished. The Three, some say, were cursed that year."
Applejack went quiet.
"Difficult to believe, I imagine," Harshwhinny said.
"I'm surprised I haven't heard 'bout that."
"Most ponies who entered don't like talking about it. Many other ponies believed it was staged or rigged. Besides, it was five years ago.”
"It weren't rigged, though, was it?"
"No," Harshwhinny said, looking out the window. "It was just... a bad year."
The train fell into silence as they shot across the countryside towards the tall, imposing mountain that bore Canterlot Castle on its slopes. Applejack found herself tapping her hoof in anticipation after only a half-hour.
Harshwhinny did not talk after that.
"So, where we heading?" Rainbow Dash asked, rolling onto her back as the pair soared through the skies. "Crystal Empire gymnasiums? Perform the seven deadly trials of the griffons in Griffonstone? Wrestle bugbears?"
Spitfire sighed.
"We're going to Canterlot," she said. "We won't be wrestling bugbears this time."
Rainbow looked disappointed.
"But there's barely anything to wrestle in Canterlot."
"I'm sure we'll find something to do, recruit."
"I'm not a recruit any more!" Rainbow corrected, zooming forwards. "Fully-fledged wonderbolt now."
Spitfire's eyes narrowed.
"Still a recruit to me," she said as they followed the cloud of steam emitted by the train.
***