Appledashery

by Just Essay

Frecklemare Begins

"Just have yerself a lil squat, sugarcube," the mare said. "Rest up. You'll be good in no time."

"I'm fine," Rainbow said as she stumbled onto the farm house's front porch. "Thanks, and all, but I'm okay. Really."

"Y'all sure about that?" A pair of green eyes squinted her way. "That was quite the tumble you took."

"Eh..." Rainbow Dash brushed the dirt and mud off her front hooves—a relatively difficult task with the numbness settling in. "I didn't feel it. Believe me." She winced slightly, but nevertheless shook it off with a shrug. "Besides, I've had worse."

"Heh, no kiddin'. You look the athletic type." She tilted her hat back. "Reckon yer used to bumpin' and fallin' and gettin' back up."

"Hey!" Rainbow frowned. "I'm not that clumsy!" Her nostrils flared as she glared across the orchards. "Just had a stroke of bad luck in this town."

"Well, shoot, you'd be the first, then!" The mare chuckled. "I've been told that Ponyville's about the easiest, laziest place in all of Equestria. Erm... n-not that I'd know, of course. Eheheh..."

"Yeah. Sure." Rainbow winced, struggled, but was finally able to coil her wings at her side. With a firm exhale, she said, "Still... uh... s-sorry about your soil and all, Miss..."

"Applejack," the mare said with a proud smirk. "And dun lose yer colors over it, Missy. Ain't nothin' that a good rakin' or plowin' won't fix."

"You run this dirt farm all on your own?"

"Uhm... it's an apple farm," the mare said with a brief glare. "Sweet Apple Acres, to be exact. Everypony who knows anythang about Ponyville has heard of us and our produce."

"Well—pffft—buck me." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I've only been here for a day."

"Eheh... do pardon me." Applejack slipped her hat off and fanned herself. The freckles were awash in a rosy sea. "Reckon I get mighty feisty when the pride of the Acres is on the line. I shoulda figured you haven't been here long."

"... ... ..." Rainbow stared at Applejack.

"Just why did ya leave a happenin' sky town like Cloudsdale anyways?"

"... ... ..."

"Erm..." Applejack plopped her hat back on her golden crown. "Did I lose y'all or somethin'?"

"Oh!" Rainbow wrenched her eyes off the mare's freckles, fidgeting. "Uhm... pffft... the ponies there were holding me back."

"Holding you back?! Pegasi?"

"Mmmm... yeah." Rainbow winced. Nevertheless, she plopped down on her haunches, gazing up at the cloudy sky. "I don't get why there's gotta be so many stiff rules and regulations with flying. Having wings is all about freedom, y'know? Why not show off if you've got the skills to spin circles around pillars of cloudstone?!"

"Dun think I can relate, but I feel ya, sugarcube."

"So then I heard about a climate exchange program and how Cloudsdale is working with outlying townships in order to improve Equestrian weather flying abroad. And... boom... I ended up landing here."

"Heh... landin' and a half!"

"Hey, watch it."

"Just joshin' ya, darlin'," Applejack said with a chuckle. "Well, you picked the best town in all of Equestria to get settled, wings or no wings!"

"Meh. Ponyville wasn't exactly my first choice."

"Oh?"

"It was... just convenient," Rainbow said with a shrug. "After all, my friend Fluttershy lives here and—"

"Ya mean to say that yer friends with Fluttershy?!" Applejack gasped. "Well, why didn't ya say so?!"

"Errr..."

"She's the best dang animal-whisperer I ever did know!" Applejack winked. "Why, she single-hoofedly cured our precious little Winona when the poor pup was on death's doorstep! I'd say that Ponyville's been in a good place ever since she moved into that cottage along the edge of the Everfree Forest!"

"Heh... yeah, she'll..." Rainbow sighed. "She'll have that effect on ponies." She gulped. "Brighten up your day and everything."

"Well, shucks, that's just fantastic!" Applejack grinned. "If both you and her are gal pals, then I'd say yer already a fine feathered friend of mine!" She playfully punched the mare's shoulder.

"Gah!" Rainbow winced heavily, immediately clutching her shoulder.

"Oh!" Applejack's ears folded beneath her hat. "Oh shoot. I'm so terribly sorry. I... I didn't realize you were sensitive there."

"Eheh... it's fine." Rainbow cleared her throat, rubbing her coat. "Usually I'm not."

"Land's sakes!" Applejack leaned in, glancing at one of two hoof-sized welts. "Yer bruised somethin' awful..." Her eyes narrowed. "Funny. I coulda sworn ya crash-landed on yer belly just a moment ago, not yer shoulder—"

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow flapped her wings hard, taking off with a burst of wind. "I... uhh... I-I gotta go."

"Huh?" Applejack blinked. "But... what for? We was just startin' to hit it off. No reason to make like the breeze!"

Rainbow winced heavily at that last word. "Yeah, well... uhm..." Rainbow coughed, fighting a sore lump in her throat. "I've got clouds to kick. Y'know. Weather flying stuff. Very 'pegasus.' Very 'complicated.'"

"Riiiight..." Applejack smirked. "Y'all seem the speedy type. I bet you could make it anywhere in a jiffy."

"Which is why I gotta jet now, okay? It's been awesome, but I gotta go."

"Hogwash!" Applejack stomped her hoof. "It was my farm that done slammed into ya, wasn't it?! I'd be remiss if I didn't show you the full comforts of Apple Family hospitality!" She trotted briskly into the house. "Y'all wait right here now!"

"Ughhhh..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Really. I gotta go! What's this about anyways, so we can get it over with?"

"Nothin', sugarcube!" Applejack's voice echoed from beyond the open kitchen window. "At least... not if yer stomach's hankerin' for nothin'!"

"Uhhh..." Rainbow blinked. "Stomach?"

A warm, deep chuckle emanated from the farm house. "That's the ticket, huh? Reckon it's true what they say about a pegasus and her metabolism."

"Mmmmm..." Rainbow Dash stopped flapping her wings. She landed on pensive hooves, lingering on the edge of Applejack's porch. "Fiiiine," she breathed. "I... like... appreciate it n'stuff. So long as it's nothing dense."

"Heh! Depends on yer definition of 'dense.'" Applejack came out, balancing a basket full of glistening red fruit. "Me, on the other hoof—I fancy usin' the word 'hearty.'"

"Jeee..." Rainbow Dash slyly smirked. "Apples. Who'd a thunk it."

"Buck up and eat up, sugarcube." Applejack winked and shoved the basket her way. "It's on the house." She chortled. "Literally!"

Comments

[Autumn Rush]

"Land's sakes!" Applejack leaned in, glancing at one of two hoof-sized welts. "Yer bruised somethin' awful..." Her eyes narrowed.

I get the feeling those bruises have Listing Breeze's name all over it.

"Huh?" Applejack blinked. "But... what for? We was just startin' to hit it off. No reason to make like the breeze!"

Rainbow winced heavily at that last word.

Yeeeeeeeeeep.

[Lightning Bearer]

I was expecting her to give Rainbow a cup of cider.

[Hestia]

Oh I've missed Applejack.

Even if she's just in a flashback.

[zaponator]

Oh ouch. I forgot about Listing Breeze...

[Bulbajer]

"Land's sakes!" Applejack leaned in, glancing at one of two hoof-sized welts. "Yer bruised somethin' awful..." Her eyes narrowed. "Funny. I coulda sworn ya crash-landed on yer belly just a moment ago, not yer shoulder—"

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"Huh?" Applejack blinked. "But... what for? We was just startin' to hit it off. No reason to make like the breeze!"

Rainbow winced heavily at that last word.

bulbajer.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/angry-gromit.jpg

[RoboRed]

6055770
6055916
I completely forgot about Listing Breeze...

[MidnightReflection]

Well, damn! Updated after updates and then more updates, and it never stops. One of the best parts of this story is that you always update damn near every day. Sometimes multiple.
And... Listing Breeze gets that second wind, huh? Alright, maybe I'll just save the bad puns for a later date.

[Sharp Quill]

Frecklemare Begins

Batman Begins?

[314]

Interesting... I'd like to see the marks on Listing Breeze

[Leftover of Saikano]

I wonder if we will have a flashback inside a flashback during Dash's narration.

[MoonMirror]

The Apple Knight

[LucyHorseThing]

"Well, shoot, you'd be the first, then!" The mare chuckled.

I'm sure Rainbow was to be first in a little somethin' somethin' else, too.
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[DrEggnog]

I'd forgotten that Rainbow's illness began before the start of this story. This tale has layers. Dropping it for an almost year was like putting all of the layers of an onion back on, and now I'm peeling them off again.

[arancaytar]

"Land's sakes!" Applejack leaned in, glancing at one of two hoof-sized welts. "Yer bruised somethin' awful..." Her eyes narrowed. "Funny. I coulda sworn ya crash-landed on yer belly just a moment ago, not yer shoulder—"

Hoof-sized or hoof-shaped? Were you in a fight, Dashie?

[SnowOriole]

"Eheh... do pardon me." Applejack slipped her hat off and fanned herself. The freckles were awash in a rosy sea. "Reckon I get mighty feisty when the pride of the Acres is on the line."

My imagination runs too wild.

Edit: Well, apparently not.