Appledashery

by Just Essay

Banking on Luck

"We had a very specific agreement, Miss Dash," Green Saddles spoke. He stood, paused halfway up the ladder leading to a hot air balloon moored to the buildingface of his office. "The deadline for your latest payment is five o'clock this evening. I showed enough consideration and grace by extending it forward like I did the last time we spoke. To extend it again would put me at odds with the firm for whom I work. And if I cannot afford to alter the agreement any further, than neither can you."

"But I totally just got paid at my new job two days ago!" Rainbow Dash said, hovering limply before him in the center of Ponyville.

"Then that sounds terribly convenient and I do not know why you are wasting my time."

"Because I've got... like... mmmm-other st-stuff to pay for as well and it'd be really really awesome if I could have the lease paid off next week instead!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Dash, but quite frankly your other payments are not my problem." He climbed the rest of the way into the basket. "We're all adults, and we have responsibilities to balance. If that's something you can't tackle, then perhaps you should seek help from ponies who can give it to you. Right now, I have a survey of the local landscape to take for prospective new settlers."

"Okay, look." Rainbow Dash sighed. "Just... t-tell me what I need to do to get you out of my mane for this month."

"I'm certain I've already spelled it out for you, but for the sake of posterity..." Green Saddles stood in the basket and stared coolly out at her. "This payment you received..."

"Yeah...?"

"You have it directly deposited in your bank account?"

"Uhm... totally."

With glaring eyes, the stallion pointed across the street. "Then go there, make a withdrawal, and have the money at my desk by five o'clock this afternoon or I don't have to take action."

"Erm..."

"Provided you do indeed have the payment for the lease as agreed on," he said as he unmoored the balloon and took it towards the air. "I don't see what could conceivably prevent you from meeting the deadline, Miss Dash, unless, of course, you're physically incapable of doing so."

Rainbow Dash bit her lip as he floated away.

---

The door opened with a rattling bell.

A middle-aged stallion slowly turned around, smiling pleasantly. He nodded in the direction of the open door from across the front lobby of the Ponyville bank.

Rainbow Dash smiled a crooked grin. She flapped her wings and levitated towards the teller windows. She had to wait for an elder mare and another pony to make their deposits. The whole time, she sighed, twitching her muscles as she felt her limbs dangling beneath her like dead weights.

It didn't help that about a minute and a half into the wait, she registered a tap on her shoulder.

Glancing down, she spotted the security guard. "Huh?"

"Ma'am?" He smiled as pleasantly as he could afford to. "While you're in here, I'm going to have to ask you nicely to stop doing that."

Rainbow Dash's brow furrowed. "What? Making a withdrawal? But I'm affiliated with this bank."

"Ahem... No, ma'am." He leaned forward and whispered politely. "Flying." He gestured towards the nearest wall.

Rainbow glanced over. A sign hung with a few things crossed out in red circles—one of which showed the image of a pegasus in flight.

"In a Cloudsdale or Las Pegasus branch of the bank, it'd be allowed. But, you see, this is an earth pony town, and the rules state—"

"Hey! I'm no stranger to this town!" Rainbow smirked awkwardly. "The name's Rainbow Dash! And I kick clouds for this place every day! So, it's totally cool, right?"

The guard simply stared at her.

She blinked. "Wow, you don't really see the sky much through that hat on your head, do you?"

The guard cleared his throat and spoke a bit firmer. "Ma'am, I have to ask you to—"

"Hey, hey... I got it. Just..." Rainbow Dash took a long, shuddering breath. "Gimme a sec." She glanced left. She glanced right. Nopony was looking. Even better, there was nopony she knew. So, exhaling, she flapped her wings less and less... and slowly drifted down to the floor.

Her hooves made contact with the lobby tile, and stayed rigid.

Rainbow blinked. She smiled. "Whew..."

Ahead of her, the pony in line trotted off. The teller at the window smiled and waved. "Step right up, Miss."

"Sure thing!" Rainbow strolled forward. "I was hoping to make a withd—" THWAP! Rainbow fell flat on her muzzle.

Several ponies gasped and looked over, eyes wided.

"Nnnngh-guhhh! Friggin' A!" Rainbow grunted into the slabs. "When w-was the last t-time this crud was mopped?"

"Ma'am!" The guard rushed towards her, breathless. "Are you okay?"

"Nnngh..." Rainbow stood up straight, spreading her wings wide. "I got it."

"Are you ill? Do you need to sit d—?"

"I said I got it!" Rainbow grunted, shuffling forward like a limping soldier. Her muzzle winced and hissed with each labored movement. "Yeesh, keep your eyes for the Hayburglar, why don'tcha?" She finally made it to the teller window and leaned against it, her muzzle spilling condensation across the brass bars. "Phweeeeeeeee..." She smiled drunkenly, glad to be leaning against something. "Heyyyyyyy there."

The teller stared at her, wide-eyed and trembling.

"I'd like to make a withdrawal." Rainbow Dash muttered. "Dash, Rainbow. Equestrian Resident Code 1993-2808-1830."

The teller blinked, blinked again and jumped in her seat. "Oh! Of course!" She opened a filing cabinet and hoofed through a series of files. After a while, she pulled out a sheet and squinted at the name on the top of it. "Rainbow J. Dash?"

"Nnnnngh..." Rainbow moaned against the bars, rolling her eyes. "Yessss..."

"Here you go, ma'am." The teller slid a sheet of paper and a pen through the window. "Write here the amount you'd like to deposit, along with the information requested."

Rainbow gulped. She felt several sets of eyes watching as she tried lifting her hooves, tried again, and then grimaced as they simply lay slack against the front of the counter. She felt the security guard shifting curiously in the corner of her eyes. Her sweat gathered thickly along her brow, and she sensed her heartbeat quickening.

So, with a deep breath, Rainbow closed her eyes. The world went black, and out from the void came rows of trees, and in the center of which a single figure bucking at the trunks, bestowing the world with glistening flashes of red, then sobbing and laughing with joy as she hugged her family in the bright sun.

Rainbow's teeth clenched and unclenched. Before she knew it, here wings were wrapping around. She opened her eyes to see that she had grasped the pen tightly in the spokes of her outstretched feathers. Smirking at the ease of the gesture, she began slowly—yet legibly—writing her name.

The teller stirred slightly, staring at the odd pegasus signature being born before her.

"What?" Rainbow smiled with a brief burst of pride. "If you were a cricket, I'd bet you'd write with your antennae."

Comments

[Keradon]

Oh dear. Oh dearie dearie dear....

[Lightning Bearer]

I love that thinking cute, apple-scented happy thoughts alleviates her condition. And I approve of both this story's and the show's increased usage of wings as proper appendages.

"Yeesh, keep your eyes for the Hayburglar, why don'tcha?"

That was my favorite part of the episode, too.

[Scohinyha Sanka]

Ah Rainbow, you are really going to get yourself paralyzed for the rest of your life. If you going like this.

[schmitthappens21]

Woah, Woah, Woah. Dash, your crazy! Your gonna get yourself hurt really bad one of these days.
Wait...I'm a little lost. Why is she so shaky on her hooves? Or was that not explained yet?

[Scohinyha Sanka]

3990598 Well, not completely but in the early chapters or maybe a little later, a hint was given that Dash has some sort of genetically illness of some sort. With the symptoms given I personally think it's MS( Multiple scleroses ).

[schmitthappens21]

3990756
O.K, Thank you.

[zaponator]

Damn, Dash. Just get the flippin' procedure already.

[Misspegasister_]

"Rainbow J. Dash?"

Um

[Future Regret]

It's getting bad.

[DrEggnog]

1993

Ooooh. My birth year.

I wonder what the J stands for. Maybe it's Jay.

[Dash32]

1993. The year if my dream car

[Seraphimus]

6074916 That'd be perfect

[arancaytar]

1993-2808-1830.

Hmm. August 28 1993 at 18:30…?

"Rainbow J. Dash?"

Rainbow Janger Jrofessionalism Dash.

[AppleTank]

8452957
nonono, its Rainbow Jennifer Dash
:V