//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 
// Story: Maybe if... 
// by Fat1thatyoulove 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 5 – Never trust an apple-spider

The sun has raised past its high noon scorch and your hooves are now caked with dirt. You don't really know how long you have been pulling around the large cart behind you but you do know you no longer want to see another zap apple tree again.

But you're slightly hurting back and sweaty body along with the slight headache from floating to many apples is not the real cause for your strung out mind...No, you just had to tell Pinkie you were bored.

"ButlikeIsaid,Applejacknevertoldmewhatwasbetter.Whatdoyouthinkisbetter?ChimmyCherryor CherryChanga? ChimmyCherryorCherryChanga?ChimmyCherryorCherryChanga?"

You watch the pink mare still happily hopping along the trail back towards the barn to help you dump the third cart you pull as you think, I don't know what a jerry cherry is or who a chimmy honga is but I hate both of it...

Your unnecessary torment comes to an end as the bright red barn of relief comes closer to you.

Pinkie stops her happy banter as you both watch Applejack walking over to you.

She holds her eyes to you as she gives a slight almost giggly smile, "Y'all alright?"

You can't tell if shes asking because your face has been stuck in a slight twitch or if it because you look like you're about to pass out. And you're pretty sure eating nothing but apple made things  and picking more apples is not the best thing for your health...still better than cupcakes though..

You push the thought out of your mind as you nod your head, "Eeyup."

Applejack nods her head as she talks, "Well it was mighty kind of you to help us out." Her voice changes to a low grumble as she squints her eyes to the ground, "Seeing as how Rainbow-..."

"Hey Applejack!"

You all look up and watch as the cyan mare swoops herself down to the ground next to Pinkie, "What I miss?" Her tomboyish voice is a nice relief from Pinkie's as she swings her head around the farm.

"Rainbow!" The orange mare holds her hoof to her as her southern voice goes into a scolding, "I told you to be here before noon."

The cyan mare rolls her hoof to her as she gives a little laugh, "Oh come on AJ you know I was..." Her voice stops as her magenta eyes catch onto you. Her mouth quivers as she brings her hoof to her mouth, but her silence isn't long as she flops to the ground in a laugh, "Why are you PINK?!"

You lose you slight smile as you start to pull the crate behind you.

Rainbow notices you trot away as she quickly brings herself back to her hooves and bolts beside you, "No really did you like lose a bet with Twilight or or was it Violet?" She gives a little snicker as you stop your trot.

Pinkie quickly joins in on her fun as she springs next to you, "Aw come on Dashy, hes just trying to be more like me." She holds her smile to Rainbow as the cyan mare drops her laugh.

"Ya..." Her eyes drift back to you as she talks, "So?"

You pause for a moment as you think over what to say, "I was hit by a copy spell and my other self turned me pink..." You shrug the comment off as you think, not the strangest morning.

Rainbow squints to your words as she talks, "Copy spell?" She pauses for a moment as she thinks, "You mean like...there can be two of you?"

"There should be a copy of you Rainbow, than you would've helped with the orchard." Applejack walks in between you two as she looks at Rainbow.

"Pff, I could clean the apples of these trees in like five minutes." Rainbow puffs her chest out as she watches Applejacks trot.

The orange mare rolls her eyes as she points her hoof to her, "Good, because we still have a bit more of the south field to go."

You give a slight sigh as you pick your pace back up to the open barn doors. But your trot is cut off as Aj holds her hoof to you, "Your done partner."

You cock your head to her as you speak up, "I can help."

She gives a slight chuckle as she takes her hoof from you, "Sorry partner, but your not really the most spring chicken right now."

Spring chicken? You squint to her words as you think, she must not know-...

Rainbow's laugh comes back to her as she flaps her wings a little. She stops her chatter as she looks to Aj, "So what do you want me to do anyways?"

The orange mare nods her head to the barn as she talks, "We just need ya to help pick them zap apples, they really came in after Sombra's clouds left."

"Ya, some tough guy he turns out to be, only thing left of him was his horn." Rainbow holds her hyper tomboyish voice as Pinkie starts to join in on her comment.

You don't really share their joking comments. The bad memories Sombra, Chrysalis and Discord bring up always sends a slight chill up your back along with a few bad memories and twinges and you're still not fully healed leg. But over the last few weeks you've just been pushing that stuff aside and have instead been focusing more on Violet and Twilight, rather than worrying about the past.

You slowly start to move away from them and the harness you've been attached to for most of the day as they continue to laugh. You slide out pretty easy on a count of the sweat, as you feel your back lose some of it's pressure you let out a sigh as you kick your back legs out a little.

Applejack notices your stretching as she points her hoof behind you, "You should just go and sit down for a bit, I got these apples."

You nod your head to her as you step aside from the cart.

Applejack moves her head to Rainbow as she changes her slight sweet tone, "Don't you go running off again Rainbow."

You give a slight chuckle as you talk, "Don't worry Aj she'll be asleep right here when you get back."

She gives a slight laugh to your comment as she continues her trot towards the barn.

The cyan mare nods her head as she watches her friend trot away, her gaze moves to you as she holds her head up proudly, "At least I don't sleep all day if somepony doesn't wake me up."

You shrug the comment off as you absentmindedly speak your next comment, "Couldn't tell by the way you throw horseshoes."

Rainbow's laughy attitude drastically changes as she squints to you, "Ok we're settling this."

"Wha...-" Your voice is cut off as Rainbow's hooves start to push on you, your tired legs move to her push as she moves you through the dirt ground.

Pinkie happily hops beside you two as she talks, "Oh oh oh can I keep score?"

"Ya sure Pinkie, you can score my win." Rainbow's cocky attitude starts to slightly annoy you as you continue to allow the cyan mare to push you past the barn...but one things certain, you're not about to lose the one thing you have over Rainbow...well besides from saving her life. You smile as you hold the thought in your head, but the slight smile comes off your face as Rainbow's leading of you comes to an end.

She blows some of her mane from her face as she trots herself next to you, "You know you could have just walked."

You nod your head as you talk, "Eeyup."

Rainbow holds her cocky tomboyish tone as she turns to the energetic ball of slightly bouncing ball of fluff, "Pinkie could you go and get some horse shoes from Big Mac?"

Pinkie gets a serious face for a moment as she lifts her left hoof to her forehead, "Yes ma!" But she again picks her bouncing trot back up as she trots away.

You move your head to the small wooden pole in the ground, I got this. You shift your gaze to Rainbow's slight stretching as you squint to her, "Why so serious?"

She flicks her ear to the comment as she smiles, "Don't want you one day blabbing your mouth that you beat more." She gives a little snicker as she looks you over again, "Especially such a mare like stallion."

You smile to her as you nod to her head, "Your mane would look good green."

Rainbow shifts her eyes to some of the colorful mane that falls in front of her face for a moment before she squints back to you, "wanna bet?"

You lose your smile as you think over her words, "What do you get if you win?"

She taps her hoof to her mouth as she thinks, "hmmm, hows about you have to trot around town in one of Twilight's dresses."

"HA!" You shake your head to her comment as you talk, "I'm good."
She pokes her head towards you as she talks, "Chicken?"

You cock your head to her as you stare at her, "Rainbow I doubt I could even fit."

At the end of your words Pinkie's voice cuts off Rainbow's next smart comment, "I found them I found them I found them."

Pinkie hops over to you and Rainbow as she hoofs four horseshoes, you take two as Rainbow speaks up, "Alright no ties and closest wins."

You nod your head as you take the two horseshoes in your hoof.

"I'll go first." She cocks a smile as she whips her mane to one side, "That way you know to give up now."

You roll your eyes  as you drop one of the horseshoes to the ground.

Rainbow sticks her tongue out as she squints her eyes to the pole, her body slinks back a little as she readies herself. After a moment of her concentrated stare she finally lets her hoof rush forward as she moves her whole body with her toss.

"Yes!"

The horseshoe lands just before the stick as she leans her head back, "Beat that."

"Whoa go Rainbow!" Pinkie claps her front hooves together as she continues her holler.

You smile to Rainbow as one of the horseshoes start to float up to you, you hold your smile to her as you causally float it over to the pole.

But your magical grasp of the horseshoe is lost as Rainbow jabs her hoof to your side, "Hey, no magic."

The horseshoe falls short of its goal as you look to Rainbow, "You never said I couldn't use magic." You hold you smile to her knowing you've successfully pissed her off.

Rainbow cocks her head up as she takes up her last horseshoe, "You should lose fair and square.” She goes through her protoss motions again as she moves her head from you, but this time as she tosses the horseshoe it goes a little too over and lands away from the pole.

You let out a chuckle as you cock your eye to the mare.

"Ya ya." She picks your horseshoe up as she passes it to you, "Ok Cheesy you toss it."

You take your hoof to it as you nod your head, "Whatever you say...Dashie" You try to copy her pre-toss stance as you slowly arch your back down. You focus your eyes to the pole giving a little too much concentration to the simple game, but as you extend your leg to toss it like Rainbow your muscles tense up in your leg and you drop the horseshoe in front of you, "CRAMP!"

Rainbow and Pinkie let out a laugh as they watch your quick hoping to your legs as your trying to loosen the tightened muscle.

"Well Pinkie who's the winner?" Rainbow stops her fun as she waits for the snorting pony to speak up.

Pinkie taps her hoof to her mouth as she mumbles to herself, "You did Rainbow..." Her happy voice doesn't stop as she starts to hop around like you did, "But you won best dance!"

You finally get the cramp out as you nods your head, "Ya whatever."

Rainbow pokes her hoof to your side as she talks, "So when do you want to wear that dress tomorrow or later?"

Your eyes shrink a little as you look at her serious face, "I said no."

She holds her devious smile as she moves her hoof from your side, her words are long as she talks "Oooh I don't remember that, do you Pinkie?"

The pink mare shakes her head as she smiles, "Nope."

You brush their comments off as you think, I'd like to see them try and hold me down.

Your legs buckle a little as a hoof pats against.

"Well sorry ya'll didn't win, here you go." You turn your head to the southern voice as you look to the orange mare, there's a bag draped over her back and shes holding a small brown pouch to you.

You look to her extended hoof a little confused as she talks up again, "I figured you deserve something for your help, "And with all the extra apples we got, well heck we could get a new barn." She gives a little laugh as she moves her hoof a little towards you.

You blink at the small pouch for a moment as you take it to your hoof, you bring the bag to your gaze as you open it up. Inside there's few gold coins, you stare at the coins for a few seconds, it's not that you've never seen money before but you never really had your own.

You bring your gaze up a little as Rainbow and Applejack start to talk, "Ok so the south field right?" Rainbow takes herself to her wings. You cut their comments off as you talk, "How much do you think Rarity would charge for a ring?"

The three mares give each other a confused look as Applejack speaks up, "Uh, why ya'll want a ring?"

Rainbow waves her hoof to you as she talks, "You don't have claws you know."

You hold a serious tone as you give a slight smile to her hoof, "No, I want to get a ring for Twilight."

Applejack again speaks up as she holds her confused stare, "Why ya'll want a ring so bad."

You lower your voice as you hold a sweet smile, "I want to purpose."

Pinkie and Rainbow still hold there confused stare as Applejack taps her hoof to her mouth a little unsure, "But thought you already did that?"

You hover the bag next to you  nodding your head, "I want to do it right..."

She nods her head as she talks, "Ok, well tell Twilight that i'll bring by some zap apple jam tomorrow."

You nod your head as you trot you're still sore legs away from the barn, "I will...and thanks Applejack." You stop your trot for a moment as her and Pinkie give you a wave good bye.

End of chapter 5