TEQG: Sword Art Online - Aincrad
Equestria Girls
Adventure
Sci-Fi
The Girls get trapped in the newest video game, Sword Art Online. If you die in the game, you die in real life.
Crossover
Sunset Shimmer
Main 7 (EqG)
Mindrop · 414k words · 406 27 · 8.7k views

Vignette - Sisterhood Social · 12:50am Apr 19th, 2023

August 20 - Saturday

Applejack sunk her face into the pie with the enthusiasm of a freshly washed pig jumping into mud. She was going to make sure Applebloom and her were going to be hogs at the trough by the end of the Sisterhood Social. They even had matching shirts, white with a red circle on the front and back, imitating Japan's national flag.

So far, they were in the top three. They could have done better at the singing competition, but they snagged the red ribbon for the cheer contest and the blue ribbon for the prized hog competition. They also placed well in the three-legged race, sister-sack hop, and water balloon toss. Now it was the pie eating event, without any eatin irons. You just had to dive in, face first, and eat your way out.

This was one of the easiest competitions for the two Apple sisters to win. They beat everyone out by several miles. They even had time to clean up before the next pair of sisters were finished. Of course, Rainbow Dash was on the way to Japan, eliminating a main competitor for the Apple sisters. Rarity was also missing this year; she was already in Japan and posting updates, and she normally could have swept Sweetie Belle to victory in the cheer, singing, and talent competitions. There would be plenty more Sisterhood Socials in the future where the six of them could compete against each other.

Applejack had planned to be in Japan too, missing this year's social, except Braeburn couldn't arrive until Monday and there were some things she needed to finish up, with him present, to ensure the farm was ready for the harvest without her. She got to have one last rodeo with her sister for the year. It would be the dead of winter when she returned, nothing to do except making their own fun, inside the house.

But all of that could be worried about later. The pie eating competition was finishing up. The judges made their final scoring marks. Only the five teams with the highest scores would be eligible for the big finale; the obstacle course race.

The talent competition was one they had worked on all year. Last year’s attempt had ended in disaster. They had worked on their juggling act all year. The execution was near-flawless as they added more pins and began tossing them back and forth. Then came the steps as they recited the lyrics to do-si-do. They did their best to pass the juggling back and forth as they turned and twisted as much as they could to the orders they were reciting. They only lost one pin, dropped by Applebloom, through the entire routine.

Their practice had paid off as they won that competition. It was getting late, but all they had left was the obstacle course. One other team was a veteran of the obstacle course. The other three were long time teams in the social, first time as finalists. Not that greenhorns couldn't win. All of the finalists could trounce them for any number of reasons.

At the starting line, they waited for Granny Smith to declare the start. The old woman was using a starting pistol, which was kind of a scary thought at her age. Especially since she had acquired it in order to compensate for her voice slowly getting quieter.

The pistol went off and everyone rushed forward. Both of the Apple sisters easily cleared the mud trench, giving them an early lead. The basket hurdle was always interesting, since baskets had taller walls than tires. Applejack made it through without issue. Applebloom had some trouble halfway through.

Still, they were in the lead as they moved to the wall. Applejack was first, leaping up and pulling herself over. She dropped her arms to Applebloom and pulled her sister up and over with her.

They had to push a haybale, which wasn't an easy task. They were heavy and the ground wasn't smooth. There was a lot of friction. The two of them were strong, but the others caught up. Then the others slowed down as they met the same resistance. The Apple sisters didn't know when to quit as they got the haybale across the line and transitioned to the cider harvest challenge.

Applejack tossed apples to Applebloom, who caught them in a basket on the far side. Once they were all caught, Applejack sprinted over to Applebloom’s side to help her on the next step. They had to stick them on peelers and rotate them so the apples were peeled. The peeled apples were placed in a bucket and then they used a press to squeeze the juice out of them; into the waiting jar. Not every apple would produce the same amount of juice. What mattered was getting the press all the way down and holding it for twenty seconds. A quick dash with the jar delivered it to the awaiting chair finished that obstacle.

The final obstacle event was the egg walk. They each had to balance an egg on a spoon and walk it the last length of distance. If it dropped it would shatter, forcing them both to restart. Applejack fumbled an egg halfway through as the other veteran team caught up.

They were starting behind them, but the sister team lost both of their eggs, forcing them to restart. Applejack made it across the end line with her egg intact. Applebloom was close behind her and made it.

The mad dash to the finish line was the last thing. They had to clear three hurdles, because why not? They each did with practiced ease and breezed past the finish line, solidly in the lead.

The Apple sisters got to stand at the top of the podium this year as they received the large blue sash for winning it all. Every event ribbon they won was added to the sash. They smiled as the picture was taken of the top three teams In their respective sashes.

While the competition was over, the Sisterhood Social was still going on. It gave the three teams time to wear their respective sashes. Besides food, there were crafts, fun picture stations, and plenty of seating to hang out and chat. The social was more than just the competition. Not every set of sisters tried to compete or compete in all of the events.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo took the opportunity at the end to sing for fun. They were eliminated before they got to the singing competition. It wasn't half bad. Since their own sister and adoptive sister were unable to attend, they adopted each other in order to participate. The rules about what constituted a "sister" were quite loose. It was an intentionally vague term.

It was wonderful to see everyone again. Many of these people Applejack only saw at the social. She had watched some of the younger sisters grow up. Of course, many of them had been at the musical concert and supported Applejack and the others in going to Japan. Applejack was able to thank them and, now that the competition was over, they were usually congratulating her on being able to go.

The bulk of the cleanup would happen in the morning. That meant that Applejack, Applebloom, and Big Mac were able to spend some quality time together, as siblings. They sat under a pear and apple tree that had been guided to twist around each other as they grew. The trees were a reminder of their parents. There wasn’t much left to say, at least not that had already been said over the week.

Tomorrow, after cleaning up the farm, Applejack would finalize her packing. Monday Braeburn would arrive and they would ensure he was caught up to any specifics about the farm. Big Mac, Granny Smith, and even Applebloom could answer a lot. He would not be alone. The farm would be in good hands.

Applejack knew she worried too much. Sweet Apple Acres wasn’t just a farm, or money, job, cider, Apple family, identity, or a house — not to her — it was a home. Her home. Take any major part of it away and it wouldn’t be home. It needed all of the parts to work. She could have family and a house, but it wouldn’t be home. That included Applejack herself. This adventure was not permanent. It was only four months. She would be back with family and home real quick and she would bring back a wealth of knowledge which would only enrich Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack specifically wanted to bring back a seed. International customs were a pain, but seeds for personal growing were easier than fresh fruit or a live tree, even a sapling. She was specifically eying the Akane apple, Malus pumila, also known as the “Tokyo Rose.” If not that, there were other species of apple cultivars from Japan. If not something for eating, there were several beautiful Japanese crabapple trees, like Malus spontanea, which would make excellent visual additions to Sweet Apple Acres. The last resort would be a cherry blossom seed or other highly ornamental Rosaceae family trees. All would be great options for the farm.

Then she could plant it with help from Big Mac and Applebloom, where it would be fostered and cared for until it was truly part of the farm, one which could serve as a reminder and teaching tools about the lessons she would bring back with her. Their future families could use something like that to show that Sweet Apple Acres was not a small farm simply passed down through the generations, rather that it had big aspirations and a wider view of the world than most people thought of when they hear the title of “farmer.”

That would be a legacy worth leaving, just like the apple and pear tree the Apple siblings were sitting under.