AppleDash Contest #4 - A Little Twist of Lemon

Check out the official topic!

Howdy y'all!
Sure has been a while since we last held a contest.
Almost exactly a year, it seems.
Hm. That don't sound right.
Hey, Dash! Get on over here!
'Sup, AJ?
Got a little competition for ya.
A competition? What kind?
The kind that involves you, me, your deepest, darkest secrets, and a whole lot of peanut butter.
My what now?

Peanut butter?

...

...

Yeeeeeaah... I don't know about that.
Ya sure, sugarcube?
I don't think I need to remind you what happened the last time we used peanut butter. I couldn't fly for a week.
You two did what!?
We had a peanut butter sculpting competition. AJ had to preen my wings for a week before it was all out.

Don't act like you didn't like that.
I guess the preening part wasn't so bad.
Sure wasn't.
As adorable as you two are being, you were talking about a contest earlier, were you not?
Hey, I'm not—
It's starting to sound an awful lot like a contest about contests.
Oh, my dear princess, don't be silly! I assure you it'll be much more... fun. Pinkie Pie, would you like to do the honors?
Would I?!
This time around we're going to have two different categories!
The first one is: "Family", "Second Chances", "Exploring the Past", "Deepest Darkest Secrets", and "A Life Changing Event"
And the second is: "A Place Outside Ponyville", "A Minor Character With a Speaking Role", "An Out-of-Place Object", "A Special Event" (like Hearth's Warming Eve, the Grand Galloping Gala, or the Crystal Faire), and "An Important or Memorable Date".
You have to pick one from each category and write your story around those two choices! You're free to decide what exactly each choice is.
Pinkie, don't forget our special surprise.
Oh yeah!
You can replace one of your choices from either category with "Peanut Butter"!
Really, guys?
If I may, I'd like to add a little touch of my own.
Be my guest.
Oh, this will be positively wonderful! We'll be letting Applejack and Rainbow Dash have sex this time around.


Now this I can't wait to see.
Oooooh. Allowing mature fics? Iiiiii like it.

Hey Fluttershy! Did you get those prizes I asked for?
I did, and I think you'll like them.
For first place, we have $250 of any pony merchandise—the winner gets to choose what they want and from where.
For second place, we have $100 of any pony merchandise.
And for third place, we have $50 of any pony merchandise.
Wow, you really pulled out all the stops on this one, didn't you?
Yep!
You all have until 8:00AM (GMT) on January 1, 2016 to submit your fics. They must be complete and at least 5,000 words long. Now get writing!

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The Fourth AppleDash Contest
A Little Twist of Lemon

Check out the official forum topic!

In the past, we've had contests that put twists on all things AppleDash: one that skipped on common tropes, such as Rainbow Dash breaking her wing(s); one that made Applejack chase after Rainbow Dash—not the (usual) other way around; and one that put competitions between our beloved couple in the spotlight.

This time, we're putting a twist on that trend.

We've carefully selected and organized some topics into two different categories. Each entry for this contest must pick one topic from each category and write a story that heavily includes both elements—all while making it all about AppleDash.

The Categories:
Category A:
- Family
- Second Chances
- Exploring the Past
- Deepest, Darkest Secrets
- A Life-Changing Event

Category B:
- A Place Outside Ponyville
- A Minor Character With a Speaking Role (Think real hard about who this includes; if you're not sure, ask one of the judges!)
- An Out-of-Place Object (One that doesn't normally belong in the everyday lives of our little ponies)
- A Special Event (Something like the Grand Galloping Gala, the Crystal Faire, Hearts and Hooves Day)
- An Important or Memorable Date (For example, the day Applejack's parents died, or the day Rainbow Dash got fired for stealing clouds to build her house)

Wildcard:
- Peanut Butter (You can replace one of your choices from either category—but not both—with this!)

Some examples:
- An AppleDash story about Second Chances at A Special Event
- An AppleDash story about Peanut Butter and an Out-of-Place object
- An AppleDash story about Deepest, Darkest Secrets involving Peanut Butter

The Rules:
The rules have changed a little bit this time around, so pay attention!

- Entries must be a minimum of 5000 words long.
- Entries must be complete by the end of the contest—incomplete entries will not be judged.
- Multiple entries are allowed. They will be judged completely separately.
- Entries must use their two choices as a core part of their story. If you're unsure about your idea, ask a judge.
- No Anthro (this does include Equestria Girls), Grimdark, Gore, Humanized, Human(s) in Equestria, Ponies on Earth, Species-Swap, Gender-swap, or Tragedies.
- Mature fics are allowed.
- Bear in mind that the contest is still about the story. Mature fics or the use of the "Peanut Butter" wildcard won't score extra points.
- The deadline is 8:00AM (GMT) on January 1, 2016. This is midnight on the United States' west coast.

The Prizes:
There are three winners for this competition. Each winner will receive an amount of money towards the purchase of sweet pony merchandise. Each winner can pick what they want, from where/who they want, and when they want it. This can be commissions from that artist you've always wanted art from, a plushie, something from shapeways.com, or whatever else you can think of. Anything left in the prize after the purchase of your merch can be sent as an Amazon gift card (if that doesn't work, we can always work out an alternative).

- First place gets $250
- Second place gets $100
- Third place gets $50

Upon announcing the winners, KrazyTheFox will contact each and arrange for the distribution of the prizes.

The Judges:
KrazyTheFox
Skeeter the Lurker
Tchernobog
Timaeus

How to Submit Your Entry:
Ensure that your two choices are in your entry's description. Add your entry to the group's main folder, then PM one of the judges with a link to your story. The judge will move your story to the dedicated contest folder. Your story will not be judged until it's completed, but it can still be added to the folder and the judges will track it.

Final Words:
We hope you're as excited about this contest as we are! If you have any questions or need any clarifications, feel free to contact any of the judges either in this topic or through PM. Good luck!