Applejack’s birthday is coming up. She can tell by her calendar. She can tell by the bitter chill in the morning air that brings a slight ache in her bad knee. And she can tell by her marefriend’s shifty behaviour. Every year was the same: Rainbow Dash would poke and prod, in her cute and not-so-subtle way, trying to weedle information out of her, and Applejack, in turn, would drop hints about what she wanted that year. It was a game they played, one that Applejack gladly participated in, just to see that happy grin on her marefriend’s face as she opened her present and told her it was just what she wanted.
Except this year is different. This year, Rainbow isn’t poking and prodding, she’s acting smug and aloof. Like she knows something Applejack doesn’t. There’s an excited energy about her, one she hasn’t had in a long time, not since she made Captain of the Wonderbolts.
No, this year, something is very different. A difference that’s confirmed when Applejack finds a box on her doorstep one morning. A box addressed to her. From Rainbow. It contains a riddle. The first of many. And she has only six days to solve them all.
Well, Applejack was never one to back down from a challenge.
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Cover art by John Joseco.
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Entry for, and winner of, the 6th AppleDash competition.
Bruh the contest ended seven minutes ago
10131222
This was submitted with literally two seconds to spare on the contest, then it had to go through auto-queue. I'll wait and see what the judges say.
10131224
Holy shit darling
10131227
Dahling, you know fashionably late is not my style. I always get in in the most dramatic style possible! (flicks hair)
10131234
well, they accepted it. Good luck my dude.
10131558
Yarp, thankee.
10181015 I see you too, are a Tau'ri of culture.
10182629
Indeed. This just so happens to be one of my favorite episodes.
I'm proud to have come second place to this. It deserved the win. And I appluad you for thinking in riddles. Kinda guess what this was all building towards as soon as Rarity mentioned where the dress was from, but it's not like hints like that can be hidden all that well.
You did good, bud. Insta-faved.
10277266
Thank you for the kind words, my dude. Glad you enjoyed. đź‘Ť
“It seemed like a good idea at the time” That one gave me a good laugh :)
Your story is simply perfect
It's now one in two of my most love/favourite one. I love it real much
10388683
Thankee kindly.
This was very well written, exactly what I was looking for as an epilogue to the final episode with Applejack and Rainbow Dash’s relationship. The dialogue felt so sweet and genuine while remaining true to each character, carefully written not only with them in mind but who they’d be as the years had passed. The route and the riddles were done well to experience the relationship both as it had developed and what it meant to the both of them, fantastic outline for the story. I have some criticisms towards Chapter four and the relationships, I feel that Applejack’s distrust of Discord felt out of place after their shared experiences and how many years had passed. Meanwhile Zecora and Fluttershy being together is simply my personal taste, it makes a good amount of sense for that pairing but I would have preferred the final episode’s hint of Fluttershy and Discord. I really enjoyed the “competitive” aspect of the initial set-up and relationship, not something that’s done to one-up another or the potential for teasing, but this form of gentle encouragement that would only work between the two of them. This was so good that I’m left wanting more, what their life together is like, how was the wedding, what problems would arise, the potential for children, what would raising them entail. All these questions and I feel that you would answer them in a satisfying manner. I look forward to your future works, whether that’s the interesting Zecora Fluttershy dynamic and how that came to be or more of the AppleDash I enjoyed so much here. Keep writing, you have a real talent for it!
10490861 Glad you enjoyed.
10515595 I have some criticisms towards Chapter four and the relationships, I feel that Applejack’s distrust of Discord felt out of place after their shared experiences and how many years had passed. Meanwhile Zecora and Fluttershy being together is simply my personal taste, it makes a good amount of sense for that pairing but I would have preferred the final episode’s hint of Fluttershy and Discord.
To address the first point: One should never trust
QDiscord fully at any time. Not after the stunts he's pulled. Which is basically AJ's reasoning. She's happy to let his antics go for the most part, for the sake of Fluttershy, but being the pragmatist that she is, she can never fully trust him.To address the second: I can only be blunt on this one. I detest the very idea of FlutterCord. With a passion rivalled only by my utter hatred of FlashLight. I don't think I could ever bring myself to write anything with Fluttershy and Discord together.
As for everything else: Glad you liked it, and thanks for the kind words. It was a lot of hard work. I don't know if I'll ever dip back into this particular storyline again, but it's nice to hear that my work paid off, regardless.
I do love Rarity in a supporting role in an AppleDash story.
Who are these two ponies, cuz when I first read those two ponies I thought it was sweetie Belle and scootaloo but unless we share the same head cannons I don't think it's them
11009687
I left it up to the reader to decide. It's not relevant to the story overall, other than serving as an example of significant time having passed.
Awesome story!
11415481 Many thanks, glad you enjoyed.
I’m sorry, but AJ is just being uncharacteristically oblivious here. The statue riddle was by far the most difficult, and she got that one. Fun fluffy story, but I’m sure every one of your readers knew where it was going as soon as you mentioned the circular depressions in the box. Heck, I suspected Rainbow’s intent from the cutie mark engravings. I haven’t read further than the passage I quoted, by the way, so I guess I could be wrong… But I’m not, am I? Sooo obvious.
UPDATE: Oh, ok. I get it:
It wasn’t obvious to AJ because the she thought they’d already tacitly rejected the idea of marriage. Fair enough. Still, it was a pretty predictable outcome to the riddles.