Appledashery

by Just Essay

Happy Hour

“Spnkkkt!” Rainbow Dash hissed, dribbling miniature fountains of the elixir from the grooves of her teeth. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her muzzle with a writhing forelimb. “This cider sucks!”

Applejack snorted before producing a heavy guffaw. She threw a nervous glance over her shoulder at the rest of the busy Canterlot restaurant. “I’m mighty glad you agree with me, sugarcube.” The mare leaned across the table and whispered, “But would it kill y’all to be a tad bit less rowdy about it?”

“What?” Rainbow smirked devilishly. “It’s a tragedy, I tell ya! Canterlot needs to know! Heck! All of Equestria should know!” With flapping wings, she lifted off the table and pointed at the half-empty mug in her hand. “Hey, everypony! You wanna know what liquified sandpaper tastes like?!”

“Rainbow!” Applejack hissed. With a single lunge, she bit onto Rainbow’s tail and yanked the pegasus down into her seat. “Mmmf--Honestly!”

Thud! “Owch!” Rainbow Dash placed the mug down and cradled her mangled tail with two hooves. “Why do you always go for this thing? For real?”

“Because you never fail to be so gosh-tootin’ obnoxious!” Applejack said with a scathing frown.

Rainbow merely smirked at her. “But really, Applejack, this cider blows. Like, big time.”

Applejack stared at her for three seconds… five seconds… eight and a half. She couldn’t help it; she collapsed in a state of deep, breathy chuckles.

Rainbow smirked, her wings flexing and unflexing as she returned to the mug and swirled it under her nostrils. “Like, for real? Did they fill this with fifty percent mud concentrate?”

“Just because we’re in the High Pollutin’ Diamond District don’t mean everything they serve here is honest-to-goddess nectar,” Applejack said. With a few aristocratic ponies staring at her, she leaned back in her chair and kicked her hooves up onto the table. “Which proves the point I was tryin’ to make to you.”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow’s voice echoed into the mug as she braved another sip, only to grimace. “Ugh… and wh-what point is that?”

“That throwin’ tons of golden bits into somethin’ ain’t no substitute for pouring one’s heart and talent into the same thang.” Applejack tilted her head back and smirked proudly. “This here establishment likely serves cider every month of the year. And to what end?” Applejack polished the end of her hoof and pretended to examine it. “But when Sweet Apple Acres hits cider season…”

“...it’s mother buckin’ ambrosia!” Rainbow Dash said with a wink. “Got it.”

“Erm… right.” Applejack cleared her throat and sat up straight in her chair once again. “Though I might say it with a tad bit more grace, sugarcube.”

“So what? It’s the honest truth!”

“Right, but t’ain’t no reason for bein’ ugly with the truth.”

“Pffft. Oh come off of it, Prudejack!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “It was just an expression.”

“I reckon so. And I’m mighty happy that you have so much respect for what my family produces every year. Only now, I hope ya might understand why we gotta make it in such small doses. ya hear?”

“Right…” Rainbow Dash stared boredly into her quaff as she swirled it in her hoof. “You put a lot of diligence and craftponyship and all that jazz--”

“Not just that, sugarcube,” Applejack said. She smiled warmly. “We put our love and commitment into it.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at her. “Love… and… whatnow?”

“Heheh… Reckon it sounds silly. But we really do put our hearts into what we do. If everythang was just mechnical-like, then it’d taste watered down and awful. Instead, we treat our apples like we treat our loved ones, and the rest works its way through. Like magic!”

Rainbow squinted. “You mean you buck your loved ones out of trees and squeeze ‘em out like juice?”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Now don’t be pullin’ a Twilight. Ya know rightly well what I mean.”

“Yeah, I hear you, Applejack.” Rainbow Dash nodded. “I kind of feel super bad for barking so angrily at you every year.”

“Ya just need to show up at the farm on time for once!” Applejack said with a smirk. “That way you won’t miss out on a single drop that’s due to ya!”

“Yeah, yeah. I get the picture.” Rainbow Dash breathed calmly. She stared once more at the mug and murmured under her breath, “Your love and… commitment…”

“I’m willin’ to bet that this year’s cider season is gonna be a tad bit huger than the last two or three years’ combined,” Applejack muttered. “Heck, it has to be.”

Rainbow looked up. “Why’s that?”

“To make up for my recent setback, is all,” Applejack said with a shrug.

“Set…” Rainbow blinked. “...back?”

“Hmmm?” Applejack glanced at her, then rolled her eyes. “T’ain’t no big deal.”

“No. No, I wanna know.”

“Well, I had to give up an awful lot of apples to prepare for… y’know… my ‘special sale’ at the Gala.”

“Oh?” Rainbow blinked. Then her ears drooped. “Oh…”

“Yeah…” Applejack took a deep breath. “I only have myself to blame.”

“Huh? For what?”

“Well, it was somethin’ of a nasty gamble on my part.”

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “We all put our hopes and dreams into that Gala! It wasn’t our fault that it royally crashed and burned!”

“Wasn’t it, though?”

Rainbow winced heavily and rubbed the back of her skull. “Yeah, well…”

“Makes no difference.” Applejack shook her head. “I feel bad for ya gals. Really, I do. Especially Rarity and her dream of romance come true.”

“Pfft… yeah, well…” Rainbow Dash smirked. “That mare dug herself in deep.”

“Not as deep a hole as I dug for my entire family.” Applejack’s ears drooped as she gazed limply at the tabletop. “The apples don’t just belong to me, y’know. They represent the cream of the crop of Sweet Apple Acres. When I invested the bushels for the sample table, I took a big cut out of what could have earned us regular profit. Now we’re behind in stock for the upcoming harvest.” Applejack shrugged with a sigh. “I’m still not sure how I’m gonna break it to Granny Smith and Big Mac. Someway, somehow, we’re gonna have to preserve some of what we have in store and bank on a really big cider season.”

“Wow, AJ. I didn’t realize how…” Rainbow fidgeted. “H-how involved all of that was.” She bit her lip. “Though, I guess it makes sense…”

“I had so much bet on this Gala earnin’ us the bits,” Applejack said. “I was bitin’ off more than I could chew. It’s only my fault, of course. I just wish the whole family didn’t have to flounder around because of it. Just because I did it for them don’t make it proper.”

Rainbow Dash bit her lip. Then, with nostrils flaring, she tilted the mug up and downed the rest of the cider.

Applejack gave her a double-take.

Rainbow Dash emptied the mug, slapped it down, and slapped a hoof over her chest. “Phweeeeee!” she wheezed, eyes bulging. Then, with bloodshot eyes, she leaned forward and bravely hissed, “If a bunch of Canterlot hackjobs could sell this crap for bits, then I know for a fact that you’re gonna sell the heck out of all your friggin’ apple juice, Applejack! Don’t you worry your big blonde head over nothin’, girl!”

Applejack blinked at her. With a warm smile, she chuckled and shook her head. “Yer somethin’ else, Rainbow. You know that?”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Rainbow Dash winked.

“I dunno, sugarcube, but it feels mighty fine to have a loyal marefriend believe in me so much.” She reached over and playfully punched the pony’s shoulder. “Thanks a bunch.”

Rainbow Dash exhaled heavily in an effort to keep her cheeks from burning. She rubbed her shoulder and in a weak whisper said…

Comments

[MellowMabari]

I think there was a bit of a reference to another fic in this chapter. I don't wanna spell it out, or anything, though.

Anywho, I really liked the interaction you have going on between these two. It's pretty flippin' adorable.

Onward!

[zaponator]

God that's cute.

[JustAnotherTimeLord]

I'm loving this already. Rainbow Dash took the term "marefriend" a little far, though, I'm sure. That's usually how things go.

[DrEggnog]

This chapter reminded me a bit of Spelling It Out.

[Metal Aura]

As I see it the cider presents itself as a metaphor for love. Most people seem to be ok with shit cider sold for profit just as many individuals get wrapped up in a shitty relationship without knowing what a true relationship feels like. Soon the venders of both can strongarm the weaker party into investing more bits and time through the addictive properties of this substance (cider/love.) Quality cider takes time and care to develop just as any stable relationship does. The reward of the real cider is far greater than that of the faux cider.
This may also be seen as a jab at the icecream industry in recent years. Companies that once produced icecream are now no longer legally allowed to label their products as such (because they contained less than 10% milk fat amount other things) which caused the rise in other more creative names at which many people don't even bat an eye. This was caused by a lack of quantity of certain ingredients which emerged when smaller companies grew. RD is tasting the future of AJ's product in a sense when AJ is forced to cut costs.

[Czar_Yoshi]

Well, I guess we know where Flim and Flam got kicked out of before they came to Sweet Apple Acres.

[AppleTank]

drunkship

[SWEETOLEBOB18]

Rainbow Dash exhaled heavily in an effort to keep her cheeks from burning. She rubbed her shoulder and in a weak whisper said…

The old Dean Martin show
"Poets speak of the love
of a child for its mother
or the love of
a sister for a brother.
But, it's nothing compared to the love
of one drunken bum for another"

[Walrusesarecute]

“Well, I had to give up an awful lot of apples to prepare for… y’know… my ‘special sale’ at the Gala.”

ooh, this story is gonna be a bit more grounded isn’t it? well I am here for it. I don’t think this story has found it’s hoofing yet, but it will hit its stride.