//------------------------------//
// Champagne - HazardPony 
// Story: AppleDash Group Collab 
// by DbzOrDie 
//------------------------------//

She had tried everything.

Rainbow trudged back inside the cosy wooden farmhouse, head held low and her hooves sliding across the welcome mat, the coarse bristles scraping the remnants of a long walk back to the farm off with a grating hiss.

Sound travelled quickly across the thin wooden walls. Rainbow heard Applejack stir from upstairs as much as the farmpony heard her, too.

“Well?” Applejack called as she clattered down the stairs excitedly. Rainbow didn’t reply. Applejack took one look at her, and her face fell. “Oh.”

“There was nothing she could do.” Rainbow told her, before eyeing the pair of tall, thin glasses on the dinner table, accompanied by a dark green bottle, as formal as a soldier on parade. “I see you had a bit more faith in Rarity.” She comments.

Applejack shrugs, and nudges Rainbow playfully.

“Well, my granny always says that in victory, you deserve a drink, but in defeat, you need one.”

Rainbow chuckled, and the pair made their way to the table, the pegasi’s mood lifted somewhat. Applejack twisted the cork twice, and one short, sharp ‘pop’ later, the foamy liquid spilled into the two glasses.

“Did you have more luck on your end?” Rainbow asked.

“Yeah, we pulled out one of our old formal dresses from the attic and dusted it off. It might not be modern, but it’s pretty.”

Rainbow Dash tipped the glass back, the sweet drink tickling her senses. It tasted great.

“I bet you’ll look great.” She told Applejack. It wasn’t so much a bet as a fact, of course. Rainbow knew from experience that Applejack would make almost anything look good. Applejack blushed.

“How did Rarity take it?”

“Oh, you should have seen her! She was desperate. She had tried gels, nets, needles, she even tried moulding it to be any other shape she could make.” Rainbow said, beginning to laugh. “I think she was more annoyed than I was! She must be hitting the drink too, I imagine.”

Applejack could picture it all too well. The thought of her friend driving herself insane over Rainbow’s condition was enough to bring a smile to anypony’s lips.

“I guess that just confirms what I already knew. It just would have been really cool for a change.”

Applejack let her hoof brush against Rainbow’s own as she refilled her glass, a small reassuring gesture she hoped Rainbow would notice.

“You’ll still be able to go. Just because it’s formal doesn't mean you have to have a styled mane.”

Rainbow Dash glanced down at the orange hoof, and smiled properly. She was pretty sure which out of the champagne and Applejack was really making her feel better.

“Thanks. I guess some manes can’t be styled.”